Supernova: In the Hands of a Hero
by Seraphina Greene
Summary: Phineas, Ferb, and the gang off in an adventure through the galaxy! Aliens, Magic Swords, Pegasi, Unicorns, Oh My! Includes main and secondary characters, as well as OCs. Fluffy in parts, serious and dark in others. Cannon!Pairings. This was up before, but was deleted for reasons that will go unmentioned.
1. Step-Brothers Reunited At Last!

Supernova: In the Hands of a Hero

Chapter 1: Stepbrothers Reunited At Last

As everyone knows, there is no sound in space.

To Phineas, a crew member aboard the rebel ship _Freedom_, that was a rather sobering thought.

Although, to call the little hunk of metal drifting through space a 'ship' was a bit of an overstatement. The self-sustaining piece of space junk barely had enough basic functions to keep from simply disappearing all together.

The life support took almost all the power, and besides the self-cleaning feature (which had come built in), what little other functions it had weren't guaranteed to work. The intercom system would short out if used for more than five minutes, the semi-operative food replicator would sometimes spurt out inedible goo, and the glitchy elevator more often than not would return passengers to the previous floor rather than the one selected.

The control room wasn't in the best condition either, but with the exception of the landing pad, it _was_ the nicest place on board.

Phineas sat in the command chair, the only one awake, and barely at that, floating in between consciousnesses aimlessly, much like the ship itself.

There was a small enough crew that it only required one person to stay awake and keep watch, but of all the uninteresting jobs on board, this was the worst.

The most eventful thing that had ever happened on watch was when Isabella woke up the entire crew because they were headed for an asteroid that, had they collided with it, would have torn them apart.

At the moment, all was quiet. Well, relatively quiet, anyway.

The rockets, although on standby, still sputtered and coughed, the chair squeaked every time he moved so much as a finger, and the power depletion alarm kept sounding, the longer they drifted the louder it got as they lost more and more power.

Despite the minor hullabaloo occurring around him, however, it was the foreign whirring sound that startled him fully awake.

Blinking his eyes blearily, Phineas pressed a button on the top of the chair's arm. The big monitor blinked, flashed, and flickered on uneasily, almost as if it too had been asleep. The image was fuzzy, blurry, and full of static, the wires that hooked it up frayed and split.

Even in the distorted images, one thing was clear: there was an unscheduled docking occurring in the landing pad.

Sighing, grumbling almost, he got to his feet and shuffled over to where the elevator was. When the doors closed around him, he selected the button to take him down to the landing pad.

Unfortunately, as was its habit, he arrived not at the landing pad, but at the third deck, where his sleeping quarters were. Rolling his eyes, he pressed the button again, and this time arrived at his destination.

Phineas' sleepy eyes widened when he saw the small jumper that had landed. The sleek space cruiser style was unmistakable. Only a member of the elite fleet would man a vessel like that. Whoever was about to step out of that jumper was the enemy.

A relatively tall man stepped out of the vessel, and once he'd set foot on the landing pad room floor, he unlocked and pulled the helmet off his head.

Shocked, a single word escaped Phineas' lips. "Ferb?"

The two step-brothers hadn't seen each other in years.

When Ferb had chosen to join the elite fleet, Phineas had found the rebel forces and found that group home instead. So sides were chosen. Lines were drawn. Then lines were crossed. Eventually the lines were erased, and the piece of paper crumpled up and thrown away. Phineas never expected to see Ferb again. Ferb never expected to see Phineas again either. That was how it had been. This very moment changed everything, though.

"It's good to see that you're well, Phineas." The green-haired young man came up to stand beside him, smiling slightly.

"F-Ferb, what're you doing here? This isn't…a mission for the elite fleet, is it? You're not here to infiltrate us, are you?"

He shook his head. "I just wanted to see you. I've missed you, Phineas."

Phineas smiled back at him. "I've missed you too."

The doors to the elevator opened to reveal a rather sleepy Isabella. "Phineas," she mumbled, "what's going on?" When she stumbled over to where they stood, her eyes grew wide. She wasn't sleepy anymore. "Phineas, take him to the brig."

"But Isabella—!"

"I _said_ take him to the brig, Phineas! Don't make me pull rank on you!"

"She's got a higher rank than you?" Ferb chuckled softly.

Phineas only sighed. "Don't remind me…"

"It's alright, Phineas." Ferb said with a sigh, knowing what was really bothering him.

"You can still come to see him periodically." Isabella told the redhead reassuringly. "It's not as if you'll be closed off from him completely. We're only doing this until we've decided what to do with him."

It was due to that reassurance that Phineas visited his step-brother more than twice a day.

When Ferb discovered how bad the ship's condition really was, he immediately got to work.

By pulling the panels out of the walls, he began to rewire the ship, section by section. This was why Phineas had the opportunity to ask Isabella, "Ferb needs a pair of paperclips and a ballpoint pen."

"Well," Isabella started, "I guess I don't see the harm in that. They can keep him busy until the Captain decides what to do with him."

She handed them to him and he smiled, thanking her as he called over his shoulder, "Thanks, Isabella. These'll come in handy when Ferb rewires the sublight engines."

"Oh, that's good. Wait. What—?!" She exclaimed, but he was already gone.


	2. Repairing a Piece of Space Junk

Chapter 2: Repairing a Piece of Space Junk

Ferb was rewiring the food replicator's wires when Candace came in. He didn't bother to look up as she spoke.

"You really ought to pay attention when I enter the room, Lieutenant." She told him coldly.

"That rank means nothing to me anymore, Candace." Ferb replied as he detached and reattached one of the wires, "Or am I only allowed to call you Captain?"

"That's quite a lot of insubordination coming from you, 'Toe-the-line-but-never-cross-it-Flynn-Fletcher.'"

Ferb only shrugged as he disconnected and reconnected one of the wires reconfiguring the power.

"I guess even the most steadfast and brainwashed of soldiers wear down over time."

Ferb didn't reply, merely furrowed his brow as one of the next connections he intended on fixing shorted and sparked.

The orange-haired captain laughed, smirking as he used the pen to detach and reattach the wires so that the sparking would cease. "Trying to escape is pointless. Even you can't manage to break out with paperclips and a plastic pen."

"Had I intended on escaping," Ferb began as he replaced the panel, locking it with a solid _click_, "I would have done so already." He began to work on another panel. "The food replicator's fixed. I figured that actual food would be more pleasant than inedible goo."

Candace raised an eyebrow. "How could you manage a feat like that? You've been in here the whole time."

"All the wires in this ship interconnect around these three walls."

"What?!" Candace asked, alarmed. "That's preposterous!"

"Actually," a higher-pitched Indian voice spoke up for the first time, "His assessment is correct. All connections intersect around those three walls."

"Including sublight engines, life support, and the force field on the outside of the brig," Ferb pointed out. "but I haven't bothered with those, despite how inefficient life support is currently."

Sighing, Candace raked her hand through her hair, making a note to solve that error. "Lieutenant," she said with a slight hiss, "what are you even doing here? I highly doubt you would ever desert the elite fleet. You're supposedly one of the best engineers and pilots they have."

Ferb simply slid his hand into the front right pocket of his landing suit and pulled out his flight log book. Sliding it through the food slot, he looked at her and then at the log book rather pointedly.

After reprimanding Baljeet for not searching him first (a job that wasn't even his, he was just an engineer), Candace read through the last four entries made.

Without even hesitating, she jabbed the button on the wall, dropping the force field around the brig's walls.

She threw the log book at his feet. "Consider yourself a member of the crew." To the other man in the room, she said, "Baljeet, show him to his quarters. The empty one will suffice."

"I am just an _engineer_, Captain! How many times do I have to tell you that? I am not a security guard, not a maintenance worker, and most certainly not a secretary! I am an _engineer_! That is all I am!"

Sighing, Candace told him calmly, "Your shift has ended, Baljeet. Swipe out, and on your way up, show him to his quarters."

Closing his mouth quietly, he replied, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

Shutting and locking the panel, Ferb stood and followed Baljeet out of the room and into the elevator. As the doors closed, Ferb saluted her silently, and nodding her head curtly, she saluted him soundlessly.

No words passed between the two young men until the elevator doors opened with a _ding_ to the control room.

"This, I believe, isn't the correct floor." Ferb pointed out calmly.

To which, Baljeet replied with a sigh as he pressed the button again, "It is always doing this. The elevator goes to the last floor it was on before it goes to the floor that was actually selected."

"Sounds like a wire is connected to itself," Ferb commented, "That glitch will be the very next thing I fix."

Then, the doors opened on the residential floor. "Isabella's quarters are the closest to the elevator. Next is mine, then Buford's. After his is Phineas', and last is yours."

"Much appreciated, Baljeet." Ferb smiled. "I think I'll retire for now."

"You do not wish to join me in the mess hall?"

"Unfortunately, at the moment, I am full of inedible green goo. My digestive system doesn't quite know what to do with itself."

"I believe retiring _would_ be the best course of action, then." Baljeet said curtly, and slid into the elevator as quickly as he could. So quickly, he forgot to ask the now-returned British-born young man why the captain had looked so flustered.


	3. Attack of the Happy Platypus

Chapter 3: Attack of the Happy Platypus

Ferb went into his quarters and sighing, lay down on the well-worn bed. The dark blue fabric was frayed and thin, the bed sheets filled with holes and runs. He closed his eyes. It was good to rest. Staying in the tiny, uncomfortable room had made him so uneasy he couldn't settle down. He'd _had_ to work. Now, he needed to sleep. But before he could do anything, his eyes slipped open as a _thwacking_ sound, like a cupboard door being open and shut, startled him. A teal ball of fur barreled toward him, jumping up onto the bed and attacking him. A tiny little tongue applied kisses all over his face.

Laughing happily, Ferb whispered, "Perry."

No one could blame the little monotreme for being so excited. The platypus hadn't seen the second of his two owners for nearly three years to the day.

"I missed you too." He managed to get out in between laughs, chatters, and platypus kisses.

"Perry!" Phineas laughed, calling through the tunnel, his voice slightly obstructed by the door, "What's in those abandoned quarters that's gotten you all excited?"

"Perhaps it's because these quarters are no longer abandoned." Ferb said with a chuckle, lifting the flap while holding Perry in his arms.

"Ferb!" Phineas exclaimed happily, "Candace let you out of the brig? I knew Sis would come around!" Smiling, the redhead called to his step-brother, "Stay there, Ferb. I'm coming around."

Minutes later, the three of them were piled on Ferb's relatively new thread-bare bed, laughing and reminiscing over old times.

"So Ferb," Phineas started, picking at one of the many holes in the bedspread, "Now that you're a member of the crew, what do you plan to do?"

"This ship is in desperate need of maintenance. Repairs, upgrades, and efficiency checks are both recommended and necessary."

"Well, you always were handy with tools." Ferb only smiled.

Phineas continued, "What do you plan on doing first? There's a lot that needs to be done."

"The elevator, for practical reasons. After that, I'll have to make a list. Well, after both my digestive system and myself are mobile again."

"Ferb? Are you okay? Maybe we should take you to the infirmary."

"Is it working, Phineas?" Ferb asked hesitantly, "Do we have a solution for this inedible green goo?"

"Oh, were you the lucky winner this time?"

Ferb nodded and sighed. "Yes, which, in retrospect, seems wholly ironic, considering it was me who solved the problem in the first place."

"Oh, you fixed the food replicator? Nice going, bro. That'll stop a lot of people from taking sick leave."

"How many people are on board the ship, anyway, Phineas?" Ferb asked curiously as he stood, silently consenting to a trip to the infirmary.

"Oh, you know, eleven, twelve. Big crew, huh?" Phineas said proudly.

"Phineas, the ship I came from had a crew of three thousand."

Phineas' eyes bugged out of his head. "What? _Three thousand?_ How would they all even fit on board?"

"It was a large ship." Ferb conceded as they headed down the hallway to the elevator.

Perry trotted along beside them happily, just content to be with the both of them.

The platypus didn't pay much attention to what the boys were saying, it didn't matter, as long as he knew he could be near them.

Perry followed them both into the elevator now, sitting comfortably on the floor as the elevator doors slid closed around the three of them.

Ferb was on his left, Phineas on his right, as he gazed up at them, the platypus-equivalent of a smile on his face.

As the elevator slowly ascended to its first destination, the control room, Perry closed his eyes, the vibration of the elevator floor lulling him to sleep.

Only minutes later, the teal mammal felt a rather unsettling tingling sensation, which had him opening his eyes blearily and chattering uneasily.

"Perry?" Phineas looked down at him curiously, and when he noticed that Perry was shaking visibly, his look of curiosity became one of worry, and he asked hesitantly, "W-why are you glowing?"

Ferb looked down to where the platypus sat. "It looks like he's being beamed aboard another ship. But I thought it wasn't possible to beam someone off the ship when the shields are up."

"Shields? Since when do we have shields?" Phineas raised an eyebrow.

"How can you have a ship without shields?" Ferb exclaimed as Perry's image faded and disappeared.

"Perry!" Phineas cried out, "Why are you invisible?"

"Phin, he's not invisible. He's been abducted." Ferb tried to tell him calmly, but the redhead's reaction was not one he wanted.

"No." Phineas said sadly, "he can't be gone. He can't be. I just got my whole family back together. I can't lose him now."

Ferb placed a hand on Phineas' shoulder, giving him a look that clearly said, _C'mon, Phineas. I think I may have an idea on how to get him back_.

So when the doors opened to the control room, Ferb slid through and dragged Phineas with him by the arm.

Isabella was on watch at the moment, as Candace was of in her own quarters, getting some much-needed rest.

"Isabella," Ferb implored the ebony-haired young woman, "It is within our best interest to go after that cargo vessel."

Eyes filled with tears, Phineas told her worriedly, "They've got Perry, Isabella! Who knows what they'll do to him!"

She took the redhead's hand and squeezed it gently. "We'll find him, Phineas. I promise." She smiled weakly, then turned to where a brunette sat, managing the controls. "Gretchen, follow that ship!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" The spectacled young woman saluted her, then set the coordinates to follow it.

"Don't expect tah go very far." A larger man said. "We're runnin' outta fuel."

"Fuel?" Ferb echoed, "I thought the production of petroleum-based space vessels ceased decades ago."

"True," Isabella amended, "but finding and buying a vessel like that is difficult for rebels like us. They're always on constant lookout."

"So where do we stop to refuel?" Phineas asked worriedly. "How long will it take?"

"Asteroid. Not too far off from here." Gretchen answered as the ship started to pick up speed, "Same place they'll have to stop. Cargo vessels were the last to make the switch."

"So we'll be able to follow them then?" Ferb asked them curiously.

"All the way there." Isabella confirmed.

Phineas smiled weakly. "Well, that's good."

Ferb put his hand on Phineas' shoulder, giving him another look.

Returning his step-brother's gaze, Phineas nodded, saying, "You're right, Ferb. Perry wanders off all the time. He'll be fine until we can get him back." He gave the green-haired young man a quick hug. "Thanks, bro."

Ferb only gave him a small smile as he wrapped his arms around his redheaded step-brother.


	4. Why Couldn't It Have Been a Unicorn?

Chapter 4: Why Couldn't It Have Been a Unicorn?

Once they'd landed on the asteroid, Candace had insisted that Phineas go relax and take a load off by eating at the on-site restaurant, which, somehow, looked remarkably familiar, but none of them could really figure out why.

Ferb, now no longer filled with rather unappetizing inedible green goo, had asked him politely to find him some spare parts for the ship, and had declined the offer to leave the ship only because he needed the time to fix the many inoperative functions, including shields and other basic defenses they hadn't bothered to maintain.

Which was how Phineas found himself elbow to elbow with various aliens of all different sizes, colors, shapes, and origins, ordering lunch alone. "One chicken sandwich, please." He said cheerfully, not caring about the price.

"Got yourself a rich uncle or somethin'?" The one-eyed, three-armed waitress asked him, "Yah know how hard it is to find those little buggers this far from Earth?"

"Oh, well, had I known that I would have bargained for a lower price. I've got myself a chicken you can use right here." Phineas picked up a wire cage and set it on the counter, and the aforementioned bird squawked in fear. "There you go." He smiled, "Fresh poultry."

Flabbergasted, the alien waitress took the chicken back to the cook. When she returned, she bowed her one-eyed head.

"Hello, Mr. Flynn. I apologize for not knowing it was you sooner. That would explain the chicken. Is Mr. Fletcher not with you today?"

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, ma'am, but how do you know my name?"

"Evidently someone didn't account for planetary drift when recalibrating the star map." She smiled, and Phineas made a mental note to remind Ferb to do that when he returned, "You own this place, Mr. Flynn. You're at the Shooting Star Milkshake Bar. Now of course, we've had a bit of remodeling done since your last visit, but it looks very much the same."

Phineas laughed. "Well, I guess all this traveling worked out for the better, then. Ferb's back aboard the ship, fixing it. It hasn't exactly been well taken care of. We haven't had someone to manage it for a while. Which reminds me, do you know where I might be able to get some spare spaceship parts?"

"Go on out back," She said with a smile, "The boss has been pretty lenient lately. If it won't run, it gets dumped into the yard. Doesn't want tah pay to have 'em towed."

Phineas smiled appreciatively, "Well, today is just filled with luck. Good and bad." He muttered the second sentence to himself, then perked up a bit. "While my chicken's cooking, mind making me a milkshake? I'm going to want one to go, too. For Ferb."

The waitress smiled. "Of course, sir. I'll have them both brought out on time."

So he sipped on his chocolate milkshake as he waited for his sandwich.

The chicken he was served was cooked to perfection, light, fluffy, and juicy all at once.

He ate it slowly, savoring every bite. It was the first 'real' food he'd had since he'd left home.

When he got ready to leave, he ordered a round of milkshakes for the entire crew instead, and stored them all in the docking bay fridge. Slipping off the space deck suit he was wearing, which in hindsight, had been pointless, as the weather had been pleasant and warm, he started towards the lift.

As he was about to call for the now-properly functioning elevator, he heard a rather strange noise coming from outside of the docking doors.

Pressing his palm to the panel, the doors opened. The noise, now no longer muffled, sounded a lot like a set of hooves…on _metal_?

"H-hello?" Phineas called out hesitantly as he drew closer, "Is anyone there?"

It was then that Phineas saw them, a group of hooded men surrounding a horse of some kind. When one of them moved to subdue the creature, the redhead noticed that strapped over it like a saddle was some kind of bag, and upon its back, a pair of folded wings.

"Hey!" He called out as he ran over, watching as one of the men rose a hand to strike it, "Leave him alone!"

"Back up, kid." One of the masked men commanded, "This is a highly dangerous beast. We're bringing it in for your protection."

"I said, leave him alone!" He charged at them, not really planning in advance what he would do, when one of the leaders grabbed him by the arm, wrenching him up above the ground.

Phineas hissed out in pain, his brows furrowing and his eyes nearly closing as he tried not to scream.

"You're interfering, kid. We don't like kids who interfere."

His breath as calm and even as he could manage, the redhead struggled to find a way out. His gaze was drawn to the pegasus' saddlebag. It was moving. Finally, it stopped quivering, only to fly open, a gleaming sword rose upward and landed gracefully in his outstretched hand.

A gasp came from the same direction as the sword had come, and Phineas blinked, shocked, when the pegasus spoke. "The sword has chosen someone."

Simple instinct took over as he lifted it toward the man who held his other arm, and without even trying, a burst of light shot out of the tip, sending the man flying. He landed several feet away.

Brandishing the sword, Phineas eyed everyone, trying to protect himself, and the pegasus whinnied, exclaiming as he galloped over to stand beside him, "Watch where you point that thing, little one! Feathers grow back. Eyes can't!"

"S-sorry! I don't exactly know how to use this thing!"

The pegasus sighed. "Humans these days. Don't even know how to wield a sword." He muttered, then added, "Only point at what you're willing to shoot. Concentrate, and a beam of light will leave the tip. So blast these guys, and let's get out of here already!"

Phineas hesitated.

"It won't kill them," The winged horse pointed out, then amended, "well, only if you want it to."

Closing his eyes then, Phineas set his teeth as beams of light shot out of the tip, knocking them all unconscious.

Letting his arm go limp, Phineas let out a relieved sigh. The pain was lessening in his left arm now.

"There's a sheath for the sword in my bag," The winged equine commented, and he added as the redhead rummaged through the bag, "Got a name, little one?"

"I'm Phineas. Phineas Flynn."

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Phineas. You may call me Odyssey." The pegasus bowed its head, "So, where are we headed, little one?"

"We?" Phineas echoed Odyssey, confused.

"Yes, we. It is my duty to train, guide, and protect whoever the sword has chosen as its keeper."

"Oh. Well, in that case we should head back to the ship, then. They're waiting for me to check back in." Phineas said as he strapped the sheath around his waist, then holstered the sword inside.

They walked quickly back, but before he could press the button to call the elevator, the doors slid open to reveal an ebony-haired young woman.

Odyssey walked backward hesitantly, not sure what to make of her.

"Phineas, what's taking so long?" Isabella asked. She hadn't yet noticed the winged horse.

"Oh, there were some strange masked men who were trying to capture a pegasus, Odyssey. Care for a milkshake?" Phineas gestured towards Odyssey, then reached into the fridge to pull out a strawberry-chocolate milkshake, her favorite.

"So," Isabella glanced in the direction of the winged equine, "Ferb asked you to come back with spare spaceship parts and you come back with a pegasus?" She asked incredulously. Phineas was about to pipe up, when she continued, "Why couldn't it have been a unicorn?" Then, seeing Odyssey's irritable expression at the mention of unicorns, she added, "I-I mean…sure, I'd love a milkshake!" She blushed lightly. "W-why don't we go inside and get you guys comfortable?" She grabbed at the milkshake, fumbling with the container, and nearly dropped it in the process.

"Sure, Isabella." Phineas smiled at her, not even noticing Odyssey's pained expression. "I need to see what parts to bring back to Ferb, but I figured I'd ask before going to get them." He turned to his new companion, "Is there anything you need to be comfortable, Odyssey? We don't have much, but since we're going to be travelling together, we want you to be comfortable."

Isabella found it a little odd that Phineas was talking to the pegasus as if it could actually speak,

But it didn't seem notable enough to comment. This worked out in her favor, for moments later, the winged horse spoke up. "Oh, anywhere is fine. Somewhere warm would be nice. And perhaps a blanket, but otherwise, any place is fine. Any place away from the unicorn obsessed, anyway." He glared a little at Isabella.

Isabella's eyes widened, a little out of shock and a little out of surprise that anyone could be so openly rude to her face, but she said nothing as she pressed the button to call for the elevator.

She pushed two buttons, one for the engine room and one for the residential quarters.

The elevator doors slid slowly closed around them, as if it could sense the extra weight added by Odyssey's body.

Up a single level, the doors wheezed softly as it opened to the engine room. "Ferb's working on the sublight engines." Isabella managed with a dazed smile from being in such close proximity to Phineas for so long, and the redhead got off with a wave and a grin as he went to find his step-brother.

The doors slid closed again, and Odyssey smirked, "So, how long has he been oblivious?"

"Oh," she let out a sigh, knowing exactly what he was referring to, "since forever."

Odyssey let out a nicker, "I guess that'll be part of my 'training' duties, then."

"Training?" Isabella asked curiously, "What kind of training?"

"The sword has chosen him, miss. It is my duty to protect him and teach him how to wield it."

"It's a sword." Isabella reasoned, "Other than basic combat, what else is there?"

"Haven't you been listening?" He let out a sigh, "The sword _chose him_. There is nothing normal about this sword, miss. This is the _Supernova Sword_. Nothing about it should be taken lightly. In addition, metal rarely clashes against metal in a sword such as this. Lasers are the preferred weapon of choice."

To Isabella that simply raised more questions, but she opted to change the subject as the doors slid open to a residential floor. "So…if pegasi are real, does that mean unicorns are real too?"

Odyssey let out a mighty groan. "Yes, unfortunately. Unicorns are always so full of themselves, always prancing around like they own the place. _Look at me, I'm a little unicorn, I've got a cute little horn on my head! Want me to turn water into rainbows? Want me to?_ Sunlight does that too, you know!"

"Alright," Isabella amended, "not a fan of unicorns. That's fine. I'm sure we can get around this."

They'd reached Phineas' quarters. "These are Phineas'." She led him in, "I'm sure you can stay here. There's not much room, but—"

"—It will suit me well, miss. Thank you very much." He curled up with a blanket on the floor. "Go and do whatever you wish, miss. I'll be fine where I am."

So Isabella went to her own cabin to rest, and Odyssey rested on the floor.

Once all the parts Ferb had needed were found and brought aboard, they started off once more, following closely behind the cargo ship that had stolen Perry away from them.


	5. Just Another Nightmare?

Chapter 5: Just Another Nightmare?

Not long after Odyssey had joined them on the rebel ship _Freedom_, Ferb began having rather peculiar dreams.

It started out simply enough.

"You're on Candid Camera!" Phineas had shouted, which wasn't too out of place. Phineas' crazy imagination often starred in his dreams.

It became odd when a giant scaly lizard-like creature slithered out from behind the camera and swallowed the microphone whole, its eyes entirely a shade of raven-black.

The beast's tongue then slipped out from between its teeth and curled around Ferb's face. It should have been lukewarm, body heat keeping such functions from becoming too hot or cold. Instead, it was hot. So hot, it was cold. Icy cold.

Shivers ran up and down his spine, but he rode it out, not allowing himself to give in to a simple nightmare.

He woke up in a cold sweat, feeling achy, drained, and tired, but thought nothing of it. What harm was it? People have nightmares all the time.

Sliding out of bed, he made himself a cup of tea. Once he was finished, not wanting to go back to sleep for a while, he grabbed his tools and took the elevator down to the engine room to finish the modifications to the shields he'd been working on the day before.

He didn't know how long he'd been working until Phineas tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Ferbouche. You've been working pretty hard today. Want to come up for lunch?"

Ferb looked up at the redhead, squinting as if it were too bright in the room, the lines of concentration obvious on his face. "Lunch? What time is it?"

Phineas laughed. "It's twelve thirty, bro." Ferb's stomach growled. "Ferbouche, when was the last time you ate?"

"Uh…last night, I believe."

Phineas pulled the wrench out of his step-brother's hand and pulled him to his feet. "I'm staging an intervention. You've done a lot for us, but if you work yourself sick, everything you've done is pointless."

"I had some tea earlier."

"Tea is good, Terbo Ferbo, but tea is, well, _tea_. It's not nutrient filled, and it's definitely not filling. Besides, how long ago did you have that tea?"

"I don't know, it was a while ago. 3:30 a.m., maybe."

"3:30 am? What were you doing up at 3:30 a.m.?"

"Bad dream." He looked at Phineas. His expression clearly read, _I don't want to talk about it._

"You could have come to me, you know, Ferb."

Ferb only gave him a wry smile. _I'm fine, Phineas. Just let it go._

"Okay." Phineas gave him a quick hug. "But next time, just remember that you can wake me up if you need me."

Ferb nodded, promising that he would, never intending on lying to his step-brother, but the nightmares never stopped.

Night after night, with, seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel.


	6. Personal Nightmare

Chapter 6: Personal Nightmare

After the first, they all started off virtually the same. He'd become conscious of being in a cold, damp, dark place. He'd squint, and in the darkness there appeared a light. He'd head toward it, and the chaos would begin. That second nightmare, however, was the most confusing of them all. The cave of sorts was filled with various torture devices, and looking around, he observed each one with an air of scientific examination.

"Hmmm…" His thoughts were in his head, and yet he heard them spoken aloud. "That's a very interesting pillory. But what is it doing here?"

"I think I'll be able to answer that." A voice echoed out of the darkness.

"Who said that?" Ferb looked around, confused, and a lizard-like creature emerged out of the shadows. "You." Ferb narrowed his eyes. "I've seen you before. What are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd be happier to see me." The lizard-like creature almost seemed to smirk. "Lucky you. You get your own _personal_ Nightmare."

"I'm most certainly having a nightmare, but what does that have to do with you?"

"I'm a Nightmare. It's what I do."

"You're seriously called 'Nightmare'? You've got to be kidding."

"Well, actually, my name is Genderra. I am a Nightmare."

"And you're here because…?"

"I need food."

"I'm sure there are other ways to find food than being in my subconscious."

"That's where you're wrong. I feed on pain."

"Pain? What…sort of pain?"

"Oh, all sorts. Physical and mental pain, to name the most basic. I haven't decided which is my favorite flavor yet, so I'll be switching back and forth. You won't mind, will you? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you'll mind." The Nightmare grinned.

"They have different flavors, now do they?" Ferb grimaced, crossing his arms.

"Yes, yes they do. It's food. I can't very well have food and not enjoy it." The lizard-like creature only smirked.

"You could just eat a chicken sandwich like a normal person." Ferb replied bitterly.

"Ah, well, I'm afraid the chicken would agree with me when I say that it got the short end of the stick in that deal." The Nightmare replied nonchalantly.

"The chicken at least was dead. This is parasitical. It simply isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair. I think the chicken could have told you that."

"Fair enough." The Nightmare gave him an odd look. "Alright, it was a bad choice of words."

"Enough chit-chat. Let's get this show on the road."

"What kind of show, exactly?" Ferb asked, and then the world went black.

"How about I set the scene for you? You're alone. It's dark. You're blindfolded, running through a maze."

Suddenly, Ferb was running for his life. There was a blindfold over his eyes, and he could feel the brush of the foliage-covered walls as he ran. But he wasn't afraid. He wasn't even mildly terrified. He wasn't in pain, either. "I don't really see the point of this."

"Oh, you will." The Nightmare grinned sinisterly. "I've just set up the traps."

"Traps? What…sort of traps?" Ferb thought confusedly.

"Oh, all sorts of traps. Bear traps. Rabbit traps. Snares. Spikes. Giant pits. Snakes."

"I've done this sort of thing before. It doesn't scare me very much."

The Nightmare sighed. "I've never had someone who it took so long to figure out what frightened them."

"I've never found anything to be particularly terrifying before. There really isn't anything you can use."

"There's a monster following you now. It's tracking you by scent. You have to run, or it'll get you."

"What sort of monster, exactly?"

"Use your imagination! Statistics prove that the scariest monsters are the ones you know are there but you can't see!"

"How would you know this sort of thing?" Ferb wondered curiously.

"I'm a _Nightmare_! This is what I do!"

Listening to what the Nightmare was telling him, he slipped and fell into a chair. He was strapped in.

"Oh, look. My electric chair. I knew this would come in handy. Comfortable?"

"I don't quite know what to say to that." Ferb replied uneasily, and his body clenched and he gritted his teeth in pain.

He jolted up out of bed. What were the chances of having two nightmares two nights in a row? What were the chances of having the same sort of creature star in them?

Ferb sighed, rubbing his forehead. He felt more tired now than when he'd gone to sleep. He rolled out of bed and made himself a cup of tea. It was going to be another long day.


	7. Humorous Terror

Chapter 7: Humorous Terror

Ferb inwardly groaned when he became conscious of the fact that he was back in that blasted cave.

"Don't sound too excited to see me. I might get the wrong idea." The Nightmare replied sarcastically. "Besides, I've been waiting for this moment since you awoke." It grinned, and although the green-haired young man couldn't see it, it was almost as if he could _feel_ it. "Want me to set the scene this time, Mr. Fletcher? Or would you like to play a little guessing game of mine?"

Ferb merely frowned. He didn't have anything to say, didn't have anything to think, either.

"Oh, going to be all quiet now, are we? Fine. Here are the rules. In the floor is a sword." Ferb's eyes drifted to the floor where a hilt stood sticking out of the ground at his feet. "The monster you were running from is behind either of those two doors. If you can get the sword out in less than three tries, the first door will open. If it takes more than three tries, the second door will open."

When he glanced behind him, two doors in a wall appeared behind him.

"Which door has the monster behind it?" Ferb wondered. "What is behind the second door?"

"Now if I were to tell you, where would all the fun go?" Ferb could feel the Nightmare's almost audible smirk.

Setting his face to a neutral expression, Ferb turned toward the sword. Then he backtracked toward the doors. They were identical in shape and design from afar. The only notable difference was that the handles were on opposite sides of the doors, as if they connected to a single room. A red-orange hue, the oak was sturdy and solid, the handle a simple knob of brass. The green-haired young man studied the crease between the two doors. Smirking, he thought he understand how it worked. The doors were a distraction from the goal. The doors opened to the same place. Either way, if either opened, the monster came out. The monster could be anything, had any ability of the imagination. One of those abilities was being in the same place at once.

Ferb walked away from the doors and back towards the sword. He tugged on the hilt. It didn't come loose. He tugged on it again, and it wedged itself out by a few inches. "What happens if I pull it out in three tries?"

"Pull it out, and you'll see. How else would it be?" The Nightmare laughed.

Sighing, Ferb wrenched the sword out of the hole in the floor. Three tries. The sword pulsed in his hand, and a magnetic pull drew his hand down. The sword returned to the hole from which it had come. This time, when he tried to pull it out, however, he couldn't let go. His hand was stuck to the sword, and the sword in the ground.

Both doors opened. The monster was on his way out, but Ferb couldn't move. He was stuck. "You've got to be kidding me."

He was wrenching and flailing back and forth, but he couldn't move. The monster charged at him, and he struggled even harder. Eventually, he simply sagged in defeat. Then he woke up.

_You know, in hindsight that was actually rather amusing, to think of myself as flailing about like that. And yet, then, it was one of the most terrifying dreams of my life. Why is that?_

Ferb crawled out of bed and poured himself some tea. _I've got to come up with a way of not having nightmares._ He thought to himself. _Even if not having nightmares means not sleeping at all._

…

Odyssey had been training Phineas rigorously both in the use of the sword and in the mental knowledge that was required to tap into the Supernova Sword's true potential.

Most practices they didn't even use it, a practice sword was used. Odyssey had explained that the sword should only be used in dire situations and that the use of the sword would draw creatures in that could sense its power.

Some were likely already on their way, he said. Some had left as soon as the sword had chosen him.

Phineas knew this. He knew this as he trained, as he ate, as he slept, as he breathed. Phineas also knew this as Isabella's voice squeaked out fearfully over the intercom, "Phineas…there's some strange darting shape out there. I don't w-want to w-worry you, but b-because P-Perry disappeared, I-I th-thought you should know—!" Her voice squeaked harshly.

"Isabella!" Phineas cried out worriedly, "Isabella, are you okay? Answer me!"

After a few moments her voice crackled over the intercom. "I-I'm fine, Phineas I just tripped. I don't think—! Ph-Phineas! Help!" She cried out, and then yelled, "If anything happens to me, I want to you to know that I lo—!" The intercom shorted out, overused.

Grabbing the sword from where it lay on the table, Phineas decided, determined, "I'm going to go help her."

Odyssey only nodded and smiled. "This is part of your quest. I sense it."

So Phineas raced off to save her from whatever fate she might succumb to.


	8. You Are Nova, I Presume?

Chapter 8: You Are Nova, I Presume?

When Phineas barged into the control room brandishing the Supernova Sword, he found Isabella standing mutely in the corner, staring out the large window.

"Isabella?" Phineas whispered, sword still raised.

"Shhh." She whispered back, "Don't disturb it."

"Hello? I know someone's in there. Mind letting me in?"

"Isabella?" He started again while she shushed him, "What is that thing?"

"It's a unicorn, Phineas."

"That's right…" The female voice called again, "Unicorns are _real_."

"A unicorn, Isabella? A unicorn?! You called me in here so I could see a unicorn?! I was worried for your life!"

"You were?" A little dazed expression crossed her face, and her gaze turned a little dreamy.

"Excuse me. Young sir with the Supernova Sword? Mind letting me in?"

Phineas glanced up at the horned equine's shadow outside the window. "Uh, sure. You can come in. But, uh, how do you plan to do that?"

The unicorn's shadow disappeared from outside and she reappeared inside the ship, "Like that. I could have done it earlier, but it's more polite to have permission." The unicorn walked over to the two of them. "The name's Nova. What about you, young sir? Little lady?"

"I'm Phineas." The redhead sheathed the sword now, "That's Isabella."

"Isabella, huh? That's a lovely name." Nova nuzzled her, drawing the ebony-haired young woman out of her daze.

"Hi, Nova." She smiled softly, "Whatcha' Doin'?"

Nova gave the horse-equivalent of a chuckle. Then she turned to Phineas. "The Supernova Sword has chosen you, I see. It's my duty to protect and guide the chosen keeper."

"If that's true, then what about Odyssey?" Phineas replied, confused.

"Odyssey? Who's Odyssey?" Nova replied curiously.

Isabella wrapped her arms around Nova's neck. "He's a pegasus. He doesn't like unicorns very much."

"To put it that way is to make it seem as if I like unicorns at all." Odyssey replied coldly. "You are Nova, I presume?"

Nova laughed at that. "Now I understand. Care to explain it, big stuff, or would you like me to 'do the honors' or however you wanna say it?"

"I will explain our tale. You would make some horrendous error that would throw off the entire point." Nova grimaced at that, and Odyssey began. "A long time ago in the far reaches of the galaxy, was a planet…" He proceeded on for several minutes, but no one actually understood him.

Nova interrupted him. "Lemmie give you the gist of it. Long ago and far away, there was a planet where pegasi and unicorns lived together. Unfortunately, they began to fight over the responsibilities of the Supernova Sword. Eventually, it led to an all-out war."

"That is seems like an odd thing to go to war over." Isabella commented.

"Not when both sides are steeped in tradition and the very nature of the sword hung in the balance." Nova replied. "What either side wanted doesn't matter anymore. What does is that each side had an important role. The pegasi welded the sword. If it ever got damaged, they would have the knowledge to fix it. Because of their knowledge of weaponry, training in the arts of combat fall under their jurisdiction. Us unicorns, however, are responsible for the magical aspect of the sword. Everything that makes it more than a simple hunk of metal.

"Once the war finally came to a close, families on both sides of the war were chosen to carry on the tradition of the sword's history. The eldest child on either side of every generation waits until the sword has chosen someone, after which their journey begins. The pegasus, in this case, Odyssey, carries the sword until someone is chosen, following wherever the sword draws them to, and begins their training once they are found. The unicorn, in this case myself, teleports to where the Supernova Sword is giving off a signal, and guides and assists whoever it has chosen. Some creatures can only be seen by unicorns, due to our high magical abilities. Abilities that pegasi do not possess."

"Which is why they seem to think they are all that." Odyssey grumbled.

"We do not!" She countered, "We simply feel underappreciated because _some equines_ refuse to acknowledge our talents!"

The rest was lost in a series of neighs as sounds of horse indignation took over sentences.

A tired groggy British yell broke the silence. "Enough! What is going on here?"

Ferb looked terribly worse for wear.

"Ferb, are you alright?" Phineas asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Phineas. Just a little tired."

"Perhaps you should get some sleep." Odyssey pointed out.

A line of frustration crossed his face. "There's no time for sleeping. There is too much work to do to shirk off responsibilities."

"Ferb, there's no harm in resting. If you're not careful, you'll make yourself sick." Isabella pointed out.

The British-born man rubbed a hand over his forehead as he opened the panel. "I think I may already be." He said with a sigh. "Darn nightmares won't stop."

Nova gave the horse-equivalent of a frown.

"Are you sure you should be working?" Isabella walked over to him.

Ferb turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking at all of them, he nodded and went back to work. "The sublight engines need some updates."

"You finished updating them yesterday, Ferb." Phineas pointed out.

"I'm updating them again." Ferb replied, and returned to his work.

"Dinner's going to be in an hour, Ferb. Will you join us?" Isabella asked him.

Ferb merely gave them a thumbs up and returned to his work as Odyssey, Phineas, Isabella, and Nova slid into the elevator.

"We ought to do some training before dinner, little one." Odyssey told Phineas, and the redhead nodded, pressing the button to take them to the make-shift training room they'd made out of one of the unoccupied decks.

"I'll show you where my quarters are." Isabella offered. "Then I'll go see if I can help the girls with dinner." She pressed the button for the residential floor.

Phineas and Odyssey got off first, the pegasus throwing a glare over his shoulder at Nova as he left. Nova frowned in return, but when she turned to Isabella, she asked, "Can you tell me about Ferb's sleeping habits?"

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to know about Ferb's sleep routine?"

"He said he's been having nightmares. I think I may be able to help him."

"Well, normally he can't stand sleeping in the middle of the day, but I'm pretty sure I saw him falling asleep at the panel he was working on two days ago. Plus, he's been staying up later and later lately, almost as if he hasn't been getting much sleep at all. Last night, I left my sweater in the control room. When I went back to get it at three in the morning, he was still there, working on the life support. And much like what happened earlier, he finished updating it last week."

"When we reach your quarters, little lady, would you mind assisting me with a book in my pack? I'm not exactly adept at holding books with my hooves." Nova gestured with her head.

Isabella smiled as the doors to the elevator opened. "Sure, Nova. I'd love to help. Whatever I can do to help them is fine with me. Despite having lived apart from each other for nearly three years, Phineas and Ferb are step-brothers who are the happiest when the other is cheerful, healthy, and by their side."

"You really care for them, don'cha." Nova commented as they walked into Isabella's quarters.

"Ferb's like a brother to me. He's sweet and understanding, and he knows just how oblivious his brother can be." She smiled.

"And Phineas?" Nova replied rather knowingly.

"I love him with every fiber of my being," Isabella admitted, "but he's never noticed my hints."

"Perhaps then you'd like to assist him." Nova nudged her pack, and the ebony-haired young woman dug inside to find a large, twine-bound book. "This is the unicorn spellbook. It too is spelled. By allowing oneself to feel a certain emotion, a different spell section will open. There's one small problem, though. Well, two, actually. The first is that in order for the spellbook to work off-planet, a human must activate it. The other is that I haven't exactly…finished learning how to perform all the spells yet."

"What?!" Isabella looked a little shocked, "Don't you think you're a little behind?"

Nova shrugged. "Not really. I'm not nearly mature yet, little lady."

"What about Odyssey? He may have a few years on you, but he seems to be doing well." Isabella replied.

"First of all, little lady," Nova chuckled, "_Odyssey_ is the younger of the two of us. Secondly, he only _seems_ to be doing well. Half of those practices are for himself more than Phineas."

Isabella laughed. "Maybe we should take advantage of the training room ourselves, then. We've got time now, if we want to go. I've got about fifteen minutes before I have to go check on the girls."

Nova stood as Isabella got to her feet, and they made their way to the elevator once more.

When they walked into the training room, Odyssey glared at Nova. "What are you doing here?"

Phineas, who had been sitting on the side, cheering Odyssey on, waved to the both of them. "Hi, Isabella! Hi, Nova! Why're you here?"

"Nova and I thought it would be okay to use the training facilities. Since Odyssey needs to train, Nova figured we could all train together." Isabella said as she walked over and sat down next to the redhead.

Odyssey stomped over to Nova. "What makes you so sure that it is_ me_ who requires the training, unicorn?" He spat.

"I'm not stupid, pegasus. You're using this time to assist yourself as much as you are assisting the young sir."

"Well, I'll allow you to use our facilities. Since I'm a few years your senior, you obviously require more practice."

Nova smirked. "So you admit you need practice, then?" She chortled. "Oh, and Odyssey? I'm _older_ than you, so you can drop the high and might act."

Odyssey hmphed. "Whatever."

"So, Isabella, what are you training for?" Phineas asked her curiously.

"I'm going to be Human Ambassador to the Unicorns." She replied happily.

Nova smiled. "Actually, little lady, you're going to be keeper of the unicorn spellbook."

Isabella pouted a little at that. "Human Ambassador to the Unicorns sounds more important."

"I think you should be whatever makes you happy, Isabella." Phineas told her softly.

She blushed. "Thanks, Phineas."

When the two of them turned back to the two equines, they were competing vigorously.

"I think they like each other." Phineas decided easily.

Isabella gritted her teeth. "Phineas, could I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Isabella. What do you want to know?"

Grabbing him by the shoulders, she shook him gently. "Why are you so observant when it comes to other people and _clueless_ when it comes to yourself?!"

"A-are you okay, Isabella?" Phineas had a confused look on his face, as if he were a machine that had shorted out.

She pulled him close, her voice muffled by his shirt, "No, Phineas. I'm not. You're so oblivious! I love you, and you can't even see it!"

Phineas wrapped his arms around her, waiting for her to calm down. Soon, she lifted her head to look into his eyes, her gaze blurry and full of tears. "Isabella?" He whispered to her, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She replied softly. "Just being in your arms makes me feel okay."

Phineas smiled at her. "Then I'll hug you until you want me to stop."

_Never._ Isabella thought with a happy sigh. _Never let go of me, Phineas._


	9. Never Ignore the Classics

Chapter 9: Never Ignore the Classics

When he became consciously aware of the fact that he was dreaming, he squinted into the light. He found it odd that it was so bright when he was in a cave. Then he realized that he was lying down with his arms tied next to his sides, his legs stretched out directly below his waist, all four of his limbs tied to a board below him. "Why am I tied up?"

"No hello, Mr. Fletcher? We're just going to cut right to the chase then? Why shouldn't I just let myself have my fun without even telling you what I plan to do?"

"Because part of your fun is knowing that I know what's going to happen to me."

"Oh, well aren't you a sharp one. Why don't I show you something even sharper?" Something glinted above him, and a pendulum came down slowly, as slowly as possible as one could imagine anything moving. Ferb gasped inwardly when he saw it. The curved edges, sharp and tapered at a point on each end, it was unmistakably familiar. "Ever read _The Pit and the Pendulum_, Mr. Fletcher? A smart man like you I assume must have read it. While you were doing whatever sort of boring things you always do, I realized that one should never ignore the classics. So behold. Your own version of Edgar Allen Poe's famous short story. Enjoy it while you can."

Ferb stared up at the pendulum, watching it swing for a while as it slowly descended. When he realized how slow it was going and how long it was going to take, he relaxed. Then he heard a rather strange noise coming from his right. Turning his head, he saw the Nightmare had two of his smallest torture devices in his claws.

"We never did get to admire these. All that jabbering, and I never got to show you my toys. How do you like my collection? Does it appeal to your septuagenarian-like mind, Mr. Fletcher?"

"I'm not sure what to say to that." Ferb replied quietly and easily.

"My collection is rather breath-taking. It is easy to be at a loss for words. Am I right, Pear of Anguish?"

"Of course Mr. Nightmare. You're always right. And I agree with you, Mr. Fletcher's mind is stronger than his body. But I think the Lead Sprinkler disagrees with me." The Nightmare was moving the small device up and down, as if it were a puppet.

"I do not!" The Nightmare made the Lead Sprinkler protest, "I remain purely neutral on the subject!"

"Then why did you choose to disarm those traps?" The Nightmare had the Pear of Anguish retort.

The Nightmare was going to have the Lead Sprinkler respond in turn when Ferb interrupted his rather demented puppet show. "You know that isn't the least bit amusing."

"Well, I got bored waiting for that stupid pendulum to saw you in half."

"If you insist on being entertained by that, you could have it move faster." Ferb replied as he struggled with the restraints. "I'm starting to lose circulation in my legs. You know, it won't hurt any if I have no feeling left in my body."

The Nightmare grinned devilishly. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

"And these ropes are a bit tight. I'm starting to lose circulation in my arms now too."

"Well, if you insist." The Nightmare grinned, and the pendulum dropped about forty feet at once, landing only about two feet from his face. Ferb flinched.

The Nightmare sighed. "I still don't understand why you refuse to scream."

"There is no point in it." Ferb replied evenly.

The Nightmare pointed over to where a large, golden object sat in the corner. "You see that? That's my coffin chamber. You know why I can't use it? Because you won't scream! The only point of it is to hear the screams, because I wouldn't even be able to see you!"

"Screaming is pointless. The only reason I'd consider screaming was if I actually thought someone would save me. This is a nightmare. Everyone knows no one comes for you in nightmares."

"Despite the fact that I can't seem to break you, you will bring me the most delicious food I've ever eaten. Watching you lose your grip on reality will be a pleasure all in itself."

"Wait." Ferb said as the pendulum swung faster, falling what seemed like an inch every second, "I thought you intended to stay here for a while and feed off me."

"Oh, I am. Don't worry your pretty little head about that. But that much pain over such a long time causes anything from mild headaches to full-blown cases of insanity, Mr. Fletcher. It'll be best to just suck you dry and move on. That way you won't have to live out your last days in total cluelessness. You'd lose your charm that way."

Ferb only frowned as the pendulum swung closer.

"Gone all quiet on me now, have you?" The Nightmare paused, as if expecting an answer. "Well, alright then. Prepare to spend your last few minutes without severe agony in silence then."

The Pear of Anguish pipes up, "Ooh, I was right. He is a strong one. But he always breaks when the physical pain comes to play. But you know," The voice becomes a whisper, "we still haven't delved into his memories. I bet if we did that, he'd be terrified."

"Oh, I bet. Then his mind would be even weaker than his body." The Lead Sprinkler chimed in, "We should do it. We should do it while he's gone."

A devious smirk crossed the Nightmare's face, but Ferb didn't see it. He _felt_ it as he watched the pendulum swing lower, lower, lower still.

The pendulum _swished_ in his ears as it grew closer, closer, closer still. "You know what the difference is between yourself and Edgar Allen Poe's story? This time, there's no escape." Ferb bit at the ropes holding him tight. "Ah-ah-ah." The Nightmare chided, "I can't have you escaping." Ferb blinked, and the bridle closed around his mouth. "See, this has more than one purpose. This way, you won't escape. And of course, I get to use one of my toys."

Ferb only blankly stared at the pendulum as it sliced cleanly through the shirt he wore. It _hissed_ back again, and he cringed as he heard it drop even the slightest bit lower, knowing what came next.

The first cut was barely felt, like trimming hair and cutting a bit too close.

The second was like the raking of fine fingernails, sharp, and irritating.

The repetition increased as the blade dropped, and the pain increased excruciatingly with every slice of the blade.

Ferb gritted his teeth as the pain intensified. Before anything too painful occurred, however, he woke up.

He had trouble sitting up when he went to get himself a cup of tea. Before he could sit down with it though, he fell back into unconsciousness.


	10. Searching for Solutions

Chapter 10: Searching for Solutions

"Little lady," Nova asked Isabella one day while they were in the training room, "See what you can find on dreams."

"What kind of dreams, specifically?" Isabella asked curiously.

"Nightmares." Nova replied rather ominously, a shiver running up the equine's spine.

Isabella shivered rather uneasily. "N-nightmares? W-why n-nightmares?"

"I think it's time to solve Ferb's problem. Any longer, and we could risk some permanent damage."

Sighing, she nodded, and, closing her eyes, she recalled a nightmare _she'd_ had recently. When she opened the book, all the spells were about the subconscious, nightmares, and dreams.

"Here we go." Isabella showed the unicorn the list. "What exactly are we looking for to help Ferb?"

"I believe he's been infected with a Nightmare." Nova replied.

"Of course, he's having nightmares, Nova, but what can we do to help him?" Isabella replied exasperatedly.

"No," Nova replied, "The creature is called a Nightmare. They're parasitical creatures that feed on fear and pain."

Isabella blanched at that. "How do we proceed?"

"We need to find a spell so we can see inside these nightmares Ferb has been having. If he is infected with a Nightmare, it'll likely show itself in them."

"What about this one, the 'Projection of Dreams' spell? It seems to be simple enough. IT says that it works with nightmares too."

"Hmm. Well, it will take a few days to perfect, but that's manageable." Nova replied.

"A few days?" Isabella echoed, "Didn't you say any longer and we risk permanent damage?"

"Which is why we need to get moving." Nova replied, and they got to work.

…

Phineas had become increasingly distant, worried for his step-brother to the point where he would only allow Isabella, Odyssey, and Nova to come near him, and Ferb, who began to have walking nightmares and severe cases of paranoia, was put under twenty-four hour confinement in his quarters.

Because of this, Isabella and Nova worked increasingly hard to come up with a solution.

When the spell was mastered, Phineas, Isabella, Odyssey, and Nova piled into Ferb's quarters, where the green-haired young man lay upon the thread-bare sheets in a fitful sleep.

"Phineas," Isabella asked hesitantly, "are you sure you want to be here?"

"He's having another nightmare." Phineas observed by way of ignoring the question.

"I think it'd be best to do this now if we're going to do it at all." Nova stated.

Odyssey gave the horse-equivalent of a snicker. "If you can even manage the spell without setting your tail on fire."

Nova grumbled, "That was _one_ time. Besides," The unicorn bickered, "If anything were to happen to the young man, I doubt the young sir would want to continue on his quest."

Phineas shook her head. "If I couldn't help Ferb, I'd still find Perry. But I _can_ help him, so let's do something before it's too late!

Odyssey sighed and backed off. "The little one is correct. We require immediate action, and you're the best chance we've got."

Trying not to smile at that, Nova bowed her head slightly and turned toward the restless Ferb.

Planting her feet carefully, Nova closed her eyes and let everything fall out of her thoughts. Then she allowed herself to concentrate solely on tapping into Ferb's nightmare. Several minutes later, a single sphere shimmered above the British-born young man's head.

"It worked." Phineas gasped softly, and Nova relaxed.

When Ferb came into focus, he glanced around. "Hello?…Hmmm. He's always complaining about me not being here, and yet _he's_ not here right now."

"I wouldn't say that." A voice echoed around him. "I've just set up today's little adventure. I was wondering if you noticed the change in scenery."

Ferb glanced around. "I see that you've been examining my memories again." He shrugged. "It's not as if this tower Phineas and I built even mildly resembles the cave-like labyrinth filled with torture devices that has been your domain since nearly the beginning."

"Torture devices?" Isabella repeated worriedly, "And what's with this tower? I don't remember this at all."

"Remember when we built that escape tower that summer, Isabella?" Phineas replied, trying to remind her.

"You don't mean—?" Isabella glanced at him.

Phineas nodded, "Ferb's nightmare seems to be emulating that oddly-rude tower."

"You know," The green-haired young man commented idly, "I just noticed how close your voice is to the tower's." He shivered a little. "It still haunts me. Are you sure you're not a cousin of his, or something?"

The Nightmare audibly gritted his teeth. "For the last time, Mr. Fletcher, I am not a figment of your invention! I am a _Nightmare!_"

Nova turned to Odyssey. "That enough proof for you?"

Odyssey grumbled, "Whatever."

The unicorn smiled, and then it faltered as Ferb began to run through the tower. He ran quickly, but no matter what he tried, the spikes and arrows they had built into the tower moved quicker than they had the previous time. He ran for his life as a bunch of arrows nearly collided with his side.

"Why pick a memory for him to go through?" Isabella wondered aloud.

"He didn't go through this alone, did he?" Nova asked, trying to understand the memory.

"Of course not." Phineas replied as Ferb slipped through a wall to avoid the spikes only to get a cut on his face that bled easily. "Ferb and I went through it together."

Nova frowned. "I don't like the sound of this."

"I still don't see the point of this memory." Ferb commented bitterly as he pushed himself flat against the wall, the very tip of his hair sliced off as a blade flew past, "So the spikes move faster and it's just me. It's not as if you can do anything more."

"I can do anything I want." A figure rose out of the floor. It largely resembled his step-brother, but the redhead's eyes were as black as night. Completely black so that not even the whites were visible.

"Why does it look like I have smallpox?" Phineas wondered.

"I think this is a little more serious than a near-obsolete illness." Isabella ventured fearfully and buried her face in his chest, peeking out at the image nervously. "Phineas," She said worriedly, "I-I'm scared."

Phineas wrapped his arms around her, protecting her. "I'm scared too, Isabella. But it can't hurt you."

"I know." Isabella amended. "I know you'll protect me." She glanced to where the nightmare image floated. "Ph-Phineas…why does it look like you?"

The charcoal-eyed doppelganger turned on the green-haired young man, a meticulously mischievous grin crossing his face, a row of razor-sharp teeth glinting sinisterly. "I can be whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want!" The Nightmare-Phineas hissed out, its eyes narrowing dangerously. "Even you can't escape me now."

Ferb could feel a pang in his heart as he watched the doppelganger Phineas. Despite how disturbing the image was, he missed his step-brother. For the last few weeks, he had been distancing himself from everyone—especially Phineas—in an attempt to not risk hurting any of them.

"You've been depriving yourself of the attention your friends and family are attempting to give you." The Nightmare-Phineas chuckled darkly, "Which means there's plenty of emotional pain here. And I must say, I believe the psychological pain wafting from you right now is the most pleasant flavor I've ever tasted."

Ferb only glared.

"What, Mr. Fletcher? Have I crossed a line? Killing you repeatedly in your nightmares didn't do that already?"

Phineas looked downcast. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

Nova nodded. "I don't think any of us expected it to be this bad."

Odyssey lay on the floor, gazing at the image speechlessly.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Isabella asked worriedly. "Can't we, I don't know, wake him up?"

Nova shook her head. "If we try to do that, we might risk hurting him even more. This Nightmare has a firm enough grip on his subconscious that if we managed to pull him out of it, the Nightmare would just pull him back under. Ferb isn't like the average human."

"That's for sure." Isabella laughed.

Nova gave her a look. "Because of this, he will last longer than others, but due to his uniqueness, he will be subjected to excessive pain for pure experiment's sake."

"W-what exactly do you mean by 'last longer than the others'?" Phineas asked nervously.

"I don't want to scare you, but Nightmares are different than other parasitic creatures. They feed and then kill their hosts after they're finished with them. Sometimes, if they've grown rather fond of a host, as I imagine this one has with Ferb, they toy with them until it becomes uninteresting."

Isabella looked a little green, and Phineas was a bit pale.

"So we just sit idly by while the young lad suffers?" Odyssey grumbled irritably.

"Of course not." Nova replied. "Yes, we must let the nightmare take its course, but I never said anything about being idle, Odyssey."

"Then what sort of plan do you have in that supposedly great, all-knowing brain of yours?" The winged horse replied sarcastically as the nightmare image faded, but Ferb remained in a fitful sleep.

"The only way a Nightmare is vulnerable is when it is in its physical body, and a Nightmare such as this isn't very vulnerable even then. Find it, however, and we'll have a chance to remove it."

"So, where can we find the physical body?" Phineas asked curiously.

"It's somewhere on board, that much is clear. This Nightmare likes to be in control, he'd keep his physical body close in case of emergency. We'll need Ferb for this though. He's the only one who'll be able to see it."

"So unicorns aren't all-knowing, then?" Odyssey continued rather sarcastically.

Nova turned on him. "I've had enough of your cold, disparaging remarks, you _stupid pegasus_!

You act all high and mighty with your high society mannerisms and vocabulary, but you're just a young, underachieving horse with little fluffy wings!"

"They really are quite fluffy," Phineas commented to Isabella, who giggled a little.

"You're arrogant, you're a pathetic warrior, and your aiming is horrendous! A terrestrial equine could fight better than you!"

"You don't want me to start on you unicorns." Odyssey replied huffily.

Nova glared at him, shuffling closer. "There. That's your problem. You may bother me, but at least I assume that most pegasi aren't as arrogant, pompous, and rude as you, or your species would have died out a long time ago. You, however, can't seem to get past the fact that yes, I'm a unicorn, but I'm not the _only_ unicorn. I'm not the same as the rest. I don't care if you hate me, but don't hate the culture you never even experienced!" She stomped off in a huff, leaving the rest of them behind in Ferb's quarters.

Odyssey looked a little put out. "I never said I hated her. Where did she get that idea?"

"She's really hurt by the fact that you can't make an effort to get along with her." Isabella explained helpfully, "That's why she thinks you hate her."

"Perhaps I ought to go after her, then." Odyssey amended as he stood.

Phineas smiled at him, "We'll take care of Ferb when he wakes up."

Isabella nodded. "Yeah, we'll make sure he's okay. Just go after Nova."

Bowing his head gracefully, Odyssey said, "I will see to her happiness. It is the least I can do to alleviate her stress." Then he slid out the door.

Phineas sat down on the side of the bed, and Isabella sat down beside him. All was quiet in the room now, and the silence seemed to stifle their breathing. Isabella could feel the tears threaten to glisten upon her cheeks, and worriedly, she looked up into Phineas' eyes. Giving her a weak smile, he pulled her closer.

This was how Ferb awoke, bleary-eyed and exhausted, despite his near-constant sleeping lately.

"Phineas?" Ferb asked drowsily, "Isabella? What're you doing here?" He managed to get out.

The redhead dropped his arm from around Isabella's waist only so that he could grip his step-brother's shoulders and shake him gently. "How could you keep this from me, Ferb? How could you let this go on like this?"

"I didn't want to risk hurting you, Phineas." Ferb managed to say, his exhaustion masking everything else.

"I asked you to come to me if you needed to," Phineas continued, "and when you didn't come to me, I respected your privacy. Even when you kept having them, kept acting strange, kept avoiding us, I let you alone. I hoped you'd figure out what was wrong with you and solve it yourself. But this is too much. You've been in far too much pain for far too long. Help me find this Nightmare's physical body so we can free you."

"What…do you mean?" Ferb managed to speak again as he squinted, trying to figure out if he was still having a nightmare.

"Nova's found a way to remove the Nightmare, Ferb," Isabella explained, "but we'll need your help."

"Nova?" Ferb echoed confusedly. "Help?"

Phineas nodded. "If we can find its physical body, we can put in enough pain to make it leave."

Ferb shook his head. "No…hurts…hurts too much…"

"It's okay, bro." Phineas wrapped his arms around him, "I'm right here."

Isabella joined him, and they sighed, sharing a look of worry. If they didn't help Ferb soon, they might very well lose him all together.


	11. Trying to Get Along

Chapter 11: Trying to Get Along

Odyssey found Nova in the training room, throwing various ice and fire spells at targets placed around the room.

Shifting uneasily and folding and unfolding his wings apprehensively, he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

Nova turned her head to look at him. "What, no, 'I sincerely apologize for my untactful errors,' Odyssey?"

He sighed. "No. You were right. I'm just a colt trying to act like a stallion. My high-class mannerisms are a poor attempt to make up for the fact that I'm young and inexperienced."

"But you still hate me." Nova replied. "So that just makes _everything better_, right?"

Odyssey shuffled his feet and opened and closed his wings again. "I never said I hated you, Nova."

She grimaced back at him. "You never had to. Your body language and attitude told me that."

"Look," He told her bluntly, "I don't care if you don't believe me, but I never hated you. If anything I've always been jealous. As soon as you arrived, everyone loved you. When I came aboard, the first thing Isabella said was that she wished I was a unicorn. Sometimes I just wish I could get rid of these wings." He gestured with them. "They aren't even all that great."

Nova shook her head as she came over to stand beside him. "Don't say that. Your wings are beautiful." She studied the delicate pattern. "They look graceful on you. This stupid horn, on the other hand, is rather bothersome. It's always getting stuck in the oddest of places. Yesterday, it got stuck in the elevator doors."

"Nonsense." He replied, "Your horn is exquisite. And as graceful as these wings may look, they can be frustrating. I nearly got stuck trying to get into Ferb's quarters earlier."

Nova laughed at that. "I know. I saw that."

Giving her a look, she stopped laughing and gave him a smile. "So, friends?"

"Friends." He agreed honestly, and bowed his head to her, a kind sign of approval.


	12. Saving a Sleepy Ferb

Chapter 12: Saving a Sleepy Ferb

When the two equines returned, Phineas and Isabella were trying to get Ferb to eat something.

"Ferb, you haven't been eating properly for days. You need nourishment, and you can't very well expect to stay healthy with how little you've been eating." Isabella said, trying to feed him some soup.

"I don't want any soup, Isabella, I'm fine. I just want to work. It's the only thing that keeps my mind off of everything else."

Phineas replied, "What's there to work on? You've fixed and updated nearly everything. And we need you to forget about work right now and focus on finding the Nightmare's physical body, Ferb. If we do that, then we can get rid of it for good."

"But what does that have to do with eating soup? I don't see how that makes…snnngh…" His eyes fell closed and he started to snore.

"Ferb!" Isabella called to him, "Ferb!"

The green-haired young man shook his head vigorously, waking himself up. "Oh, sorry. I must have dazed off."

"Ferb, you fell asleep midsentence. You were _snoring_." Isabella sighed. "We need to get rid of this Nightmare _now_."

This was when Nova and Odyssey came in.

"Here's the plan. Ferb will find the physical body." Nova began, "Once that's done, it all comes down to Phineas." She turned to the redhead. "Because you are the chosen one, you are the only one who can wield the sword. It is the only thing powerful enough to remove the Nightmare's grip on Ferb."

"If that's true, then how do other people get rid of their Nightmares?" Isabella asked.

"It's not that the sword is the only thing that removes Nightmares from their hosts, it's more like the fact that the Nightmare Ferb is carrying is too strong to be affected by any other magical entity. Which means this never would have happened had I not been so _stupid_ and not seen it earlier. Then I would have been able to take care of it myself."

"You can't know that, Nova." Odyssey argued, and Isabella worried that this would turn into a fight until the winged equine added, "The chances of you finding it before now were very minute. You can't blame yourself for that."

"As much as I appreciate your new-found confidence in me, Odyssey, this _was_ my fault. I should have seen the symptoms sooner."

"Nova, you're not nearly a mare yet, you can't really hold yourself to their standards." Isabella countered.

"Besides," Odyssey continued, "How many Nightmares have you encountered on your own before?"

"Well, just the one, but—" Nova began, and Odyssey interrupted her.

"Exactly. So you have no reason to get down on yourself." He replied stubbornly.

Nova nodded and sighed. "Putting all errors and mistakes aside, our first goal is to find the Nightmare's physical body." She directed her attention to the green-haired young man. "You've been all over this ship, Ferb. Is there any place you've shied away from since the nightmares began?"

"Buford's quarters." Ferb replied with a weary smile. "But I've always been a bit wary about going in there."

Nova gave him a small smile, seeing the weak attempt at a joke, and let him continue.

"The landing pad. I keep thinking I could go retrieve some spare parts from my old ship, but every time I head down that way, my attention shifts elsewhere and I forget I had even considered it."

"Then that's where we need to go." Nova decided, and the gang left Ferb's quarters together, the landing pad and the former Lieutenant's ship their destination.


	13. Fight to the,,,Dissipate?

Chapter 13: Fight to the…Dissipate?

As soon as the elevator doors opened to the landing pad, Ferb began to experience a splitting headache.

He had barely made it out of the elevator before he collapsed to his knees.

"Oh look how cute!" Isabella said with a grin, "I didn't know you had made mini versions of us for your ship!" On the dashboard, Isabella saw little doll-sized versions off all of them on board, excluding Nova and Odyssey.

"Isabella," Ferb managed to get out, "don't get any closer. Whatever you see there, all of you, it's not what it looks like. You wanted…" He hissed in pain, "to find the physical body, and now you have."

"Correct as usual, Mr. Fletcher." The Nightmare slithered out from the sleek space jumper. "Putting aside the fact that no one else could see me prior to this, of course, you were the first to find me."

Ferb would have grimaced had he been able to do more than cower in pain.

"Hurts, doesn't it." The Nightmare observed as he continued to unfold from the inside of the jumper. "The closer you get to me in my physical form, the worse the pain gets."

"It's huge." Phineas let out a gasp and immediately moved to protect Isabella.

"Never before have I been so happy that Nightmares feed on pain rather than meat." Nova observed.

Odyssey gave her a curious look. "Why do you say that?"

"Just imagine how much it would take to feed it." Nova replied.

"'It'?" The Nightmare hissed, "I am most certainly _not_ an it! I have a _name _you know!"

The Nightmare pulled out the Pear of Anguish and the Lead Sprinkler. Ferb raised an eyebrow and despite the pain, commented, "You actually have real ones of those?"

"Of course. I had to model them off of something for our little adventures, didn't I?"

"Yes, Mr. Nightmare," The Nightmare made the Pear of Anguish speak, "Mr. Nightmare is a he even though Nightmares have no need for genders, seeing as they don't reproduce."

The Lead Sprinkler 'spoke' now, "Way to take all the lines! Just because I look like I should be in a church doesn't mean you have to hate on me!"

Ferb only groaned.

Phineas unsheathed the sword.

The Nightmare's gaze was drawn to the shining blade. "Now this is more like it. The Supernova Sword. Or as I've generously nicknamed it, the Master Puppet." Genderra leered sinisterly, "Care for a dance, young one? I'd love to cause a little more pain here before I have my fill and move on." The Nightmare grinned devilishly, "Of course, this isn't the best place for a 'fight to the death,' as they say." After a few seconds more, a decisive grin of ominous malice spread across his face, and he slid the Pear of Anguish and the Lead Sprinkler back to where they'd came from. "I know where we'll go."

Phineas stepped forward, shielding everyone excluding Ferb, who was still cowering in pain. "This ends here." He said determinedly, "I normally don't condone killing, but this time I'll make an exception."

The Nightmare smirked. "I suppose no one bothered to tell you then. Nightmares can't be killed. Dissipated, but never killed."

Phineas grimaced. "Ending your life was never my ultimate goal. My intent is to remove you from my step-brother's consciousness. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Ah," The lizard-like monster grinned wickedly, "Mr. Flynn, I presume. I thought you looked familiar. I must say, upon seeing me take your form, Mr. Fletcher here was more perturbed than I've ever seen him."

"So I saw." Phineas replied stiffly, and the Nightmare gave him an odd look, but shook it off as the redhead continued. "Could we get this moving already? I have a pet platypus to save from mad scientists."

"As you wish." The Nightmare bowed its head and snatched the step-brothers up off the ground.

Ferb hung limply in the creature's grasp, trying to merely keep his heart beating and breath traveling in and out of his lungs, the pain red hot, searingly so, to the point where he could barely see anything.

Phineas fumbled with the sword and it slipped through his fingers, where it clattered to the ground.

The Nightmare called Genderra picked the sword up with his tail, saying, "Don't want to lose this, Mr. Flynn. You already don't stand to last more than ten minutes _with_ the sword, I don't even want to bother wasting my time on you _without_ it."

He dropped the two of them in a maze-like space, and as soon as Ferb regained the ability to speak, he told the redhead, "Whatever you do, Phineas, you must remember that only the pain that happens to you is real. Everything that happens to me is only in my head."

"I must say, for an underage, pubescent boy way too in control of his emotions, your mind's processing never ceases to astound me." Genderra stated calmly, "But I bet you don't know where we are, Mr. Fletcher. Can your brilliant deductive reasoning solve this?"

"It's a labyrinth. Not unlike the one you've been haunting, but not the same, either. I'm assuming this is another layer of my consciousness?" Ferb replied coolly, despite his distinct desire to vomit.

"Correct." The Nightmare replied quietly, "This is another cavern of your mind. It's more filled here than anywhere else. This is where all of those hidden feelings and emotions go."

"Well, there are a lot of those in my life." Ferb amended.

The Nightmare clucked his tongue. "I believe I've changed my mind. Leaving you to die would not be in my best interest. You will be the most _amazing_ pilot for us…as soon as you forget what peace feels like. Think of it as being a vessel for the entire Nightmare collective. Once I've finished with young Mr. Flynn here, the nightmares will have just begun."

When Genderra came into range again, Phineas shot at him, but the Nightmare dodged it, rooting around for Ferb. Once of the talons scratched his face and he darted behind a wall, breathing heavily. "Mr. Fletcher, I can _smell_ you." The voice was cold and sinister. "I expect you to watch your step-brother's death. That will be the catalyst that sends you over into the spiraling track of despair we call insanity." When the green-haired young man only flinched, didn't move from where he'd hid, Genderra continued, "I don't see why you two dislike my presence so much. If anything, you should be grateful, seeing how lazy the Nightmares are on Earth. Most of them don't care about their hosts, much less consider turning one into a vessel. If anything, you should be thanking me."

"Hey!" Phineas called, "It's me you want, isn't it? I'd like to ask you calmly to LEAVE HIM ALONE!" By this time, the redhead had gotten in range again. He'd gotten off a shot, which had hit home across Genderra's face, but the blow had come at a price. The Nightmare clawed at him, its talons cutting into the flesh of Phineas' left arm.

"Haven't you been listening, Mr. Flynn?" the Nightmare asked as he grabbed at Ferb's uniform, his talons capturing the material, pulling the green-haired young man out into full view. "I want him to _watch_. The best part of it is, though, that shot you got off earlier?" Genderra gestured with a talon to where his face was bleeding slightly. "That's the only shot you're going to get." He shrugged. "I was distracted. But the truth is, I'm a lot more powerful than I look. I'm faster." Still holding onto Ferb's collar, the lizard-like creature appeared and reappeared around the room, finally stopping directly in front of the redhead. "I'm stronger." He shoved Phineas with a single talon, sending him flying backwards where he ran into a wall.

Phineas groaned, sitting up slowly. One of Genderra's talons had cut his cheek, the blood dripping down his face. Sitting up, the redhead replied with a small, wry smile, "Built to last longer?"

The Nightmare smirked slightly. "As much as I find your poor attempt at humor entertaining, I'm afraid that's incorrect." Dragging Phineas toward him in an outstretched claw, Genderra continued, "I was thinking something more along the lines of _deadlier_." A patronizing sneer crossed his face. "So, Mr. Fletcher, where should I begin? Perhaps the face?" The lizard-like monster caressed the redhead's face with a talon, cutting open the flesh on his chin. "Or maybe across the belly, spilling his intestines?"

"Really?" Ferb raised an eyebrow, his body finally starting to accommodate to the pain, "Jurassic Park?"

"What?" Genderra shrugged. "It's a good movie. Plenty of violence, blood, gore, and death. As a Nightmare, what more could you want?"

"I think Ferb was more reverencing the movie's more didactic qualities, such as family, love, and the concept of not messing with natural planetary evolution."

Genderra grimaced. "The ending _was_ terrible, with all the morals and the lessons learned and the happy family…but that's why they made two and three, right? Three being the best, of course."

Phineas didn't respond, he was too busy concentrating on getting another shot in edgewise on the Nightmare.

"Oh, was it?" Ferb commented, trying to distract Genderra. "I never did get around to seeing it. What was so great about it?"

"It was just so wonderfully morbid," The Nightmare had a sickening smile on his face as he began, and let go of Phineas' collar to gesture wistfully.

Phineas charged as the lizard-like creature continued, but as the tip of the blade nicked his chest, Genderra gripped his collar between his talons and pulled him up to eye level, Phineas' body swinging limply as he clutched at the sword, unable to let go. He was gripping it so tightly his hand was cramping.

"Mr. Flynn," Genderra hissed as he dropped the redhead from where he hung, and after a few seconds of freefall, Phineas fell into his open claw, talons digging into the suit he wore as he fell with a _thump_. "Your constant squirming is really stifling the mood." The Nightmare closed his palm around the young man.

Phineas let out a hiss of pain and gripped the sword even tighter, willing for something, _anything_ to happen.

There was a blinding light that obstructed everyone's view, and suddenly, they were all in different places than before. Ferb was released from Genderra's grasp, sitting in a corner trying to find a way to assist his step-brother. Phineas was on the ground, Genderra's claw holding him, lizard-like creature's body looming over the redhead's, clawed hand raised for the kill.

Another blinding flash of light, and Phineas found himself in a rather uncomfortable back-breaking hug. When the redhead blinked, he found that it was _Genderra_ holding him. Ferb found himself standing on his head. "This is incredibly awkward." The British-born young man observed, and the Nightmare looked flustered.

"What the heck?" The lizard-like creature exclaimed.

Phineas looked a little green. "Uh…this is awkward. Could you, you know, put me down now?"

Before the Nightmare could react, another flash of light solved the problem, and Phineas found himself standing in front of the most vulnerable point on a Nightmare: its chest. The redhead wasted no time, and drove the sword through Genderra's chest. Determined to win, the Nightmare clawed at him even as the sword slid into his chest cavity.

When Genderra looked down, he grumbled as his feet and tail began to dissipate. "Oh great. My tail's disappearing." He bowed his head eyes turning from black to red. "Even I have to admit that was good fighting, young one. But I'll be back." The beast's signature devious smile etched on his face. "_Nightmares always come back._"


	14. Homesick for My Platypus

Chapter 14: Homesick for My Platypus

Once Genderra had dissipated, the boys blacked out. When the two of them regained consciousness, they awoke to find themselves on the landing pad room floor.

Isabella ran over to the both of them. "Phineas? Ferb? Are you guys okay?"

Ferb was the first to respond. "I'm…alright." He replied tiredly, "Just help Phineas."

She turned to the redhead, and it was then, when Phineas spoke that that severity of his injuries appeared, "F-Ferb. I'm so glad you're okay." He smiled weakly, blood seeping from his wounds.

"Says the man who was nearly crushed to death." Ferb replied as Isabella called for immediate medical attention from the Fireside Girls.

"You had been dealing with Genderra for a_ month_, Ferb. I was worried your body and mind would finally snap." Phineas argued as he was lifted onto a stretcher.

Ferb resisted the stretcher for a while but Isabella made him give in. By way of acceptance, Ferb commented on Phineas' earlier statement. "Three."

"What?" Phineas asked, confused, as they boarded the elevator, Nova and Odyssey shortly behind them.

"Three months, Phineas. Genderra was in my head for three months, not one. He was there ever since we left the Shooting Star Milkshake Bar."

Phineas was oddly silent as they slid them out of the elevator and into the infirmary, but the pain was starting to get to him.

As four of the Fireside Girls, Ginger, Millie, Holly, and Adyson lifted them onto adjacent cots, Isabella slipped on her lab coat and called Nova to her side. "Is there anything I need to give him in addition to standard treatment?"

Nova shook her head. "Most of the wounds he sustained didn't have enough prolonged contact to allow poison to be released. General antiseptic should be enough."

Isabella dismissed the Fireside Girls to tend to the boys herself. The ebony-haired young woman found Phineas' silence rather unnerving as she cleaned and dressed his wounds, then helped him swallow some pain killers.

Odyssey walked over to where Phineas lay, the sword in its sheath lying neatly on the floor beside the cot. "Excellent fighting, little one. Even the sword is proud of you today."

Phineas gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Odyssey."

The Pegasus bowed his head in approval. "Now you must rest. Your body needs time to heal.

Phineas nodded. "Right now, that's _all_ I want to do."

Ferb slid off the cot, resting his feet on the floor. Odyssey spoke, causing him to halt as he rose to stand. "Where do you think you're going, young lad?"

"I need to go update the weapons systems. I was supposed to fix them yesterday. I'm behind schedule." Ferb replied as he stood.

Odyssey shook his head. "The only place you ought to be is here with Phineas. Your brother needs you, young lad, and you require your rest."

"But I need—!" Ferb protested, but Isabella interrupted him.

"The weapons systems can wait, Ferb." She forced him to lie down again. "As chief medical officer, I can't let you leave until you're fully rested."

Standing, Ferb slid onto the cot Phineas occupied, careful of the redhead's injuries. "If I stay with him," Ferb wrapped his arms around his step-brother, "then I'll hold him while he sleeps."

Isabella gave him a small smile as she exited the room, Nova and Odyssey right behind her. "Just _try_ to get some sleep, okay, Ferb?"

Now that Isabella had left, Ferb allowed himself to collapse into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Phineas rolled over and laid his head on his brother's chest, like he sometimes did when they were younger.

The pain killers were starting to work, but at the moment, there was too much pain and too much on his mind to let it take over. Now that Ferb was freed of his Nightmare, there was only one thing on his mind. "Perry." Phineas said with a soft sigh, the world fading into the blackness of medicated sleep.

The aforementioned teal monotreme had the two boys on his mind as well. Scratching futilely at glass surrounding him again, Perry was depressed. This was all he could do while keeping his 'mindless pet' charade intact. He wanted to break out. He wanted to stand on his hind legs, put on his hat, seal his air-tight suit, jimmy the lock, and fly back to the ship. But that would break his cover. That would break the O.W.C.A. oath he had sworn to follow when he became an agent.

Sighing, Perry rested his head on his paws, not taking his gaze off the door.

He wanted to let Phineas hug him a little too tightly again. He wanted Ferb to accidentally roll over him in his sleep again. He wanted to feel Phineas' near-incessant chatter echo in his ears. He wanted to see Ferb's silent but pointful gazes in his direction again. He wanted to hear Candace's crazy theories again. Heck, he even wanted to see his nemesis, Heinz Doofenshmirtz again. Just as long as it meant that at the end of the day, he could walk into the room with a chatter and hear Phineas say, "Oh, there you are, Perry." And see Ferb's tiny inclination of a smile.

Perry curled up on himself, resting his beak on some of the teal fur on his back and let out a sigh.

At the moment, all he could do was stay put and hope for the best. But even now, he couldn't help but wish that any second now Phineas would bust down the door, the boys would pull him into their arms, and take him home.


	15. Disgruntled Upon Impact

Chapter 15: Disgruntled Upon Impact

Phineas was sitting at a table in the mess hall, eating cereal. His face was still bandaged, and his left arm was in a sling, but he was smiling and eating happily. The only thing that could silence his good mood was the disgruntled Ferb stomping through the doors to stand where the redhead sat.

"Morning, Ferb." Phineas said with a smile as he spooned more cereal into his mouth. "Sleep well?"

Ferb glowered. "Why didn't you bother to tell me that I had slept for three days? Three days, Phineas! Do you _know_ how many _hours_ that is?"

Phineas' mouth opened and closed like a fish. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"It's seventy-two, Phineas. _Seventy-two hours_! I'm even _more_ behind schedule now!"

"I know that Ferb." Phineas replied softly. "I can count. A-and multiply!"

Isabella came in from the kitchen, she was assisting the Fireside Girls serve breakfast. "Want some more milk, Phineas?"

The redhead smiled back at her. "Yes please, Isabella."

She turned to where the irritated young man stood. "Good Morning, Ferb. What about you? What food strikes your fancy? You haven't eaten in seventy-two hours, so don't act like you're not hungry!"

Ferb gritted his teeth. "Why didn't you wake me earlier, Isabella? I was already behind schedule as it was!"

"You hadn't had a decent night's sleep in three months. It's my duty as chief medical officer to keep all of the crew aboard healthy. Letting you leave before you were fully rested would have both endangered yourself and the rest of the crew. I couldn't let that happen. So I let you rest." She shrugged. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

Grimacing, Ferb sat down beside Phineas with a _plop_. "I suppose some oatmeal wouldn't hurt any."

Isabella smiled. "Coming right up."

When she left, Phineas began rambling on about something random, and Ferb, only half-listening to what his brother's pointless monologue, directed his attention outside the large window to his right.

Feeling a little sleepy, he felt his eyes start to fall closed. Blinking, he watched as an odd white shape started to come closer, appearing larger as the distance grew smaller.

Blinking again, he shook his head gently, frowning as the figure came close enough to be distinguishable. It was a man, a strange brunette man in an oddly-shaped white spacesuit who appeared to be screaming as he tumbled forward, and the green-haired young man watched in shock as he collided with the side of the ship. The room shook as the impact sounded.

"Phineas," Ferb said uneasily, "I don't mean to interrupt, but there's a man squashed against the outside of the ship."

"You're probably hallucinating again, Ferb." Phineas replied, waving, not bothering to look.

"No, I'm positive he's there. Didn't you feel that jolt?"

"Oh, that was probably Isabella dropping a plate again. She's been clumsy lately."

Ferb shook his head. "The sound and impact was too much for that."

"What if it was a really big plate?" Phineas asked, the ideas flowing and the gears turning in his head.

"It would have to be the size of the entire kitchen, Phineas. It just isn't—ugh! Just look out the window!" The British-born young man exclaimed, exasperated.

Sighing, Phineas acquiesced, trying to appease his brother, and his eyes widened in shock as he looked outside. "F-Ferb? Why is there a man squashed against the side of the ship?"

"If I had known, Phineas, why would I be pointing it out?" Ferb pointed out.

Phineas shrugged. At that very moment, two individuals came into the room. Isabella from the kitchen, carrying Ferb's oatmeal, and Nova from the elevator doors, ready to have her own meal.

Setting Ferb's oatmeal down in front of him, Isabella directed her gaze to where everyone else was staring. "What's with the weird plastered guy?"

Ferb only shrugged.

Phineas replied, "That's what we were trying to figure out."

Nova walked over to them, then, after listening to what they were saying, walked over to the window.

"Nova?" Isabella asked, "What're you—?"

"Shhh." Nova interrupted, "I think he's saying something."

"Why not use that spell we perfected last week, the sound amplification spell?"

Nova nodded, and concentrating, put a spell on the man outside.

"Ow…" The man's seemingly squeaky voice groaned, "Oh great. Now I'm running out of air. "Hello?" A series of mild thumps were heard, as if he were pounding against the side, but eh mans' legs were out of view. "I can see you in there! I don't generally condone asking for help, but since I might die otherwise, I'll make an exception."

"What's with his voice?" Phineas asked, "Is that the amplification spell?"

"No…" Nova replied, "I think that might be how his voice is normally…"

"Nova," The redhead asked again, "Would you mind bringing him aboard?"

The unicorn grimaced. "I don't exactly think bringing this man aboard is a great idea…he has a bad feel about him. But if it means letting him die out there, then I'll help him in, I suppose." She disappeared and reappeared outside of the ship.

The second brunette saw her, the man in the oddly-shaped spacesuit exclaimed, "A pointy-horned horsey!"

Nova gritted her teeth. "I'm a unicorn."

"Pointy-horned horsey can talk?" He asked curiously.

She sighed. "_Yes_, I can talk. I hear you're running out of air. Would you like to have some help from my friends aboard the ship?"

"Pointy-horned horsey has friends? Are they pointy-horned horsies too?"

The equine sighed again. "I've had enough of this nonsense." Concentrating, she used a spell she'd perfected when she'd been barely a filly.

Within seconds, he appeared and reappeared inside the ship. After he was safely inside, she came back in as well.

"Well, my job's done." Nova turned to Isabella. "Now I could really go for a salad. Just a warning, though, that one is an idiot."

The brunette unlocked and slipped off his helmet. "Despite what the pointy-horned horsey tells you, I am _not_ an idiot. My name is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz."

"Doctor?" Nova snorted. "I bet you couldn't even read a prescription."

"Heinz?" Buford asked seconds after her, looking up from his own breakfast, "What, did you mother like ketchup a little too much?"

Isabella looked confused. "Buford, where did you come from? In fact, where have you _been_?"

"Oh, yah know, around." He shrugged. "Been doing what I always do. Eatin' donuts."

"You do realize eating all those donuts is going to land you in the infirmary." Isabella pointed out.

He shook his head. "Nah. I exercise enough." He took another bite of a donut. "I'll be fine."

"It is true." Baljeet replied, sitting rather uncomfortably beside the weapons specialist. "He is getting plenty of exercise by bullying me. Just now, for example, I learned that it _is_ in fact possible to get a wedgie in a spacesuit. As for those donuts, Buford, those were mine!"

"What's yours _is_ mine, loser. 'Sides, I got nothin' else tah do lately. Don't even see why I'm even _in_ this story."

"Buford," Isabella hissed, "_What_ did I say about breaking the fourth wall?"

There were a few moments of awkward quiet.

"_Anyway_," Doofenshmirtz stifled the silence, "Where am I?"

"You're aboard the vessel _Freedom_, Doofenshmirtz. What side of the feud are you on?" Candace replied as she strode through the elevator doors.

"Yours." He replied stiffly, and she laughed, to his surprise. "May I assume that you're the captain of this vessel, Miss?"

The orange-haired captain laughed again. "You may. I'll have an empty set of quarters made up for you on the fourth deck."

"Oh, I don't intend to be a bother. My daughter, Vanessa, will be coming with another ship shortly."

"Vanessa?" Ferb echoed, shocked. As long as it had been since he'd seen Phineas, that time had come to an end. He hadn't seen Vanessa for even longer.

"Another?" Phineas asked curiously, "What happened to the ship you had before?"

"Oh, that was all my nemesis, Perry the Platypus' fault. We were having our daily battle and he pressed the self-destruct button again."

"Who put a self-destruct _button_ on a ship?" Baljeet commented, outraged. "A self-destruct _mechanism_, surely, but not something that can so be so easily activated as a _button_."

While Baljeet remained flustered over self-destruct buttons, a single word slipped through the brothers' lips simultaneously. "Perry."

"What's up with those two?" The self-proclaimed evil scientist asked.

"Perry." Phineas repeated, "He's our pet platypus."

"He was abducted by the cargo ship we're following." Ferb added softly.

"Perry." Doof frowned. "Are all platypuses named Perry?"

"In a perfect world? Yes." Phineas said with a ghost of a smile.


	16. Playing Life By Ear

Chapter 16: Playing Life by Ear

Once Ferb gained the ability to have normal, healthy sleep patterns again, he began seeing Nightmares everywhere. Both awake and asleep, he saw them, but most never talked to him directly. They floated both in and out of the ship, conversing among themselves, sometimes coming out of the walls.

One time, while the green-haired young man was particularly distracted, a Nightmare popped out of the panel Ferb had been working on, causing him to drop a rather heavy wrench on his foot.

"_I like blood_!" The rather demented-looking Nightmare exclaimed, its eyes bugging out at odd angles.

Other members of the crew occasionally took notice, but Ferb managed to pull it off as something else. Most of the time, anyway.

Nova had the ability to sense intangible creatures such as Nightmares, but it was impossible for a unicorn of her age and little experience to distinguish what each type was. Despite all of that, she knew there had been a sharp increase of intangible beings arriving nearly as instantaneously as Genderra had dissipated, some even before. This made the horned equine very concerned about Ferb.

So the next time it happened, Nova waited until everyone cleared out to talk to him.

"Ferb, would you please put down your wrench so I can talk to you for a minute?"

He shook his head. "I need to finish this before I stop."

"Have you been seeing Nightmares again, Ferb?" Nova asked him, "I know none have taken you as a host, but that doesn't mean they're not drawn to you."

Ferb nodded and sighed, setting the wrench at his feet as he turned to face her and sit on the floor. "I never saw them, not even before Genderra dissipated. When I started having normal sleep patterns, they started following me around. None of them talk to me, just to each other, for the most part. Well, all except for the demented one."

"How…_demented_ is he?" Nova asked apprehensively.

"It's nothing like Genderra, Nova. I promise. This one is barely coherent." Ferb shrugged.

"And you have no idea of what caused this?" Nova wondered worriedly.

"I have one theory." Ferb replied calmly. "During our 'fight to the death' or whatever you want to call it, Genderra spoke of turning me into a pilot, a vessel of sorts. I'm not sure exactly what that entails, but it would make sense if it had at least partially worked."

Nova paled. "There haven't been many studies on Nightmare vessels. For one thing, they're very rare. There have been exactly three reported cases since my early ancestors began keeping written records. The second reason is because after the first few years, every one of them disappeared. Their close friends watched them go from distant to insane, only talking to what no one else could see, and disappeared only a short while after that. But their Nightmares were never dissipated. Because Genderra was, it's impossible to know."

"These vessels…are there any records of their behavior being mild before their bout of full-blown insanity?" Ferb queried a little shakily.

"No." Nova shook her head. "All cases show a steady decline into irreversible insanity. That's what makes me consider the possibility of you being a partial vessel."

"And, suppose I am. Where does that leave me, Nova?" Ferb responded in turn.

"Suppose you are what, young man? A partial vessel? A Nightmare vessel?"

"Either, both, neither. What difference does it make, Nova? So little is known on the subject, how will I know what to expect?"

"We don't." Nova said with a sigh, "Which means we'll have to play it by ear. But we'll know for sure soon enough."


	17. PerilousPredicaments of PerrythePlatypus

Chapter 17: The Perilous Predicaments of Perry the Platypus

Perry let out the platypus-equivalent of a groan when he awoke to find the white, white walls of the mazet kept track of how many times hed had no way to do so. But it had been a lot.

Grumbling inwardly, the teal monotreme made his way through the maze, not even considering eating the of live insects they supplied.

He hadnt been feeding him anything hereald ever eaten were grubs, and although they were the most delicious food he mother, Linda, and Candace had always been squeamish, and preferred to feed a mixture of various ground insect larvae.

Turning away from the squirming, unappetizing menu, he curled up on himself and once again, fell asleep.

He awoke to find himself in the glass tube again. The monotreme sneezed; it smelled like cleaner. Then he grimaced. This was what life had become, a sterile, bleach-smelling environment. In fact, everything was like that. Cold and sterile, uncomfortable and hard. The shock collar theyt replaced the collar the boys had given him, but it had covered it, the locket the boys had attached hidden underneath.

Letting out a sigh, Perry curled up on himself again, trying to stay warm, and wondered what stupid test they would run next. There was the box, where hed run the wrong way on purpose. Sometimes hed let him alone eventually.

Perry wished they arms around him again.


	18. Sweet Nightmare: Irony at Its Best

Chapter 18: Sweet Nightmare: Irony At Its Best

Ferb nearly had a mental panic attack when he found himself back in the labyrinth filled with torture devices he had visited so many times before, but it was the rummaging sound that worried him the most.

"Who-who's there?" Ferb called out anxiously.

The light-gray head of a Nightmare popped out of the chaos. "Oh, pardon me." The Nightmare gave him a surprisingly kind smile. "I've been wading through all this clutter. I must have gotten separated from my host." She looked around. "Why are there so many medieval torture devices in here, anyway?"

"I haven't had much time to clean out after a previous resident." Ferb replied bitterly.

She eased her delicate wings out from the chaotic mess, her entirely black eyes seemed to sparkle with a mischievous sort of humor. "I can safely say whoever did this was a complete nut. Putting aside the fact that I only take children as hosts, I would never consider this. Very few Nightmares would ever consider this." She paused, studied him. "You're Ferb Fletcher, I assume? I've heard stories about you." She smiled. "I'm Nightshade. Nice to meet you."

"How is taking children as hosts any different?" He bellowed, skipping a friendly introduction all together, "How is that any more honorable?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She replied, trying to placate him, "So you've had a bad experience. Do you even know what our purpose is, Ferb?"

"I'm listening." The green-haired young man replied through gritted teeth.

"You remember having nightmares as a child, right? The monster under the bed?" Ferb nodded silently in response. "The point of those nightmares are to teach children right from wrong, to teach them morals. When children get too old, we leave them willingly, for the most part. The ones who stay have twisted principles. They often cause their hosts to go insane. That's how psychopaths and serial killers come into the world."

The British-born young man frowned. "So…Nightmares actually have a good purpose?"

She nodded. "As surprising as it is, a healthy dose of fear is actually good for the brain. The nightmares you occasionally experience are usually only necessary feeding, in addition to a gentle reminder for your own morals. The others…the ones who take older hosts…are the twisted ones who choose to take pleasure in older people's pain. They do it because they find satisfaction in the fact that they understand what's going on."

"Why is it that some Nightmares are so insane?" Ferb asked curiously.

Nightshade grimaced. "Like humans, some Nightmares are just naturally inclined to cause pain for others. Unfortunately, due to the harmful effects that dissipating causes a Nightmare's body structure, it too causes some insanity, more so if they were already insane or sadistically inclined. The more times we dissipate, the more times we crave pain, which is why we try our best to avoid it."

"I have one more question, if you don't mind." Ferb added calmly.

Nightshade smiled, bowing her head slightly. "I don't mind. Go ahead."

"When he dissipated, the Nightmare swore he'd come back. What are the chances that he was telling the truth?"

She frowned. "It's hard to say exactly. If a Nightmare is set on finding someone, they _will_ keep searching until they find them. Respawning can take anywhere from a month to three years. The best you can do is just be prepared."

Ferb gave her a weak smile. "Thank you. I suppose I'll just go over there and wait for myself to wake up."

"Well, you could, or you might consider just using the door." Nightshade pointed out.

"Door? Since when has there been a door?" Ferb replied curiously.

"Since the first time the Nightmare brought you here." She replied, opening the door for him. "Goodbye, Ferb." She smiled. "I hope we meet again someday."

Ferb smiled back. "Goodbye, Nightshade. It was nice to meet you." And he disappeared through the door and into the peaceful bliss of dreamless sleep.


	19. IrritatingFoodReplicators&MissingNemesis

Chapter 19: Irritating Food Replicators and a Missing Nemesis

Ferb let out an irritable groan when he woke up to the insistent _beep_ of the intercom.

Stumbling over to the panel, he leaned against the wall as he pressed the button to accept the call. "What is it?" He called with a grunt.

"Ferb, the food replicator's acting up again." Isabella informed him.

"Do you _know_ what time it is, Isabella?" He sighed, "Couldn't you just throw the goo aside and call the order in again?"

"I know it's late and I'm sorry, but it's a little more complicated than that." She replied uneasily, as if she wasn't sure quite what to say.

"Late?" Ferb echoed, "There's nothing _late_ about it, Isabella. It's 2:30 a.m. What're you doing up, anyway? Don't you have a shift tomorrow morning?"

Isabella let out a sigh. "Nova and Odyssey woke me up after the food replicator refused to serve them salad for breakfast."

"Putting aside the fact that 2:30 a.m. hardly constitutes breakfast time, what do you mean by 'refused'?" Ferb asked tiredly.

"Just what I said. When they ordered salad, it promptly told them that salad was not an appropriate breakfast food."

"It's a food replicator, Isabella. It doesn't possess the ability to speak, much less _converse_." He argued.

"Tell that to the talking food replicator, Ferb." Isabella replied in turn.

Ferb led out a sigh, not bothering to mask his exhaustion. "I'll be there in a minute…"

The green-haired young man looked almost lethargic when he stumbled into the kitchen.

His tired state looked so remarkably familiar that Isabella grew worried. "Ferb, are you okay?"

"Aside from being woken up at 2:30 a.m., the food replicator wouldn't serve me any tea."

"It is 2:45 a.m. It is much too early for tea." A mechanical voice replied stiffly.

"For the last three months I would wake up around 3:00 a.m. and would have tea." Ferb argued.

"3:30 a.m. is the earliest tea will be served." The mechanical voice retorted.

"Putting _this_ catastrophe aside, we have equines aboard, you stupid food replicator! They need to have their salad; it's one of the few entrées they can eat that you serve." Ferb urged.

"Salad is not considered a proper breakfast food." The mechanical voice insisted.

"How about oatmeal?" Ferb considered. "Could you make oatmeal without water?"

"Water must be added separately." The food replicator responded as the oatmeal was made.

Once Nova and Odyssey had some oatmeal to eat, Isabella and Ferb slipped out of the kitchen into the mess hall. "How on earth did this happen, Isabella?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. It was working fine when I was serving dinner last night."

"It was me!" A mildly squeaky voice offered, and Ferb and Isabella finally noticed that Doofenshmirtz was sitting across the mess hall, eating waffles. "The food replicator needed more restricting so I gave it its own AI. I never thought it would harm the Pegasus and the pointy-horned horsey."

Isabella couldn't help but giggle at that, and Ferb didn't bother to choke back a sigh. "Please tell me there is some way to fix this. There are enough things on this ship that I need to repair in some manner, I don't need an insulting food replicator that talks back instead of serving me. If it's one in the afternoon or one in the morning it shouldn't matter. If I want tea, I expect it to be served!"

"It can be solved easily, as long as it hasn't started rewiring the ship." Doof shrugged, and Ferb became alarmed.

"I'm going to go fix this." He declared and ran off.

Isabella turned to him. "The captain is going to hear about this, you know. She's going to revoke your right to work on anything on this ship. Ferb already feels uncomfortable by you being here, working on it. That's really his domain anyway."

"Ah…well I suppose it's for the best, anyway." Doofenshmirtz shrugged. "Most of the inators I build usually explode anyhow."

Isabella looked at him strangely. "If that's true, why do you build them all the time? What's the point? And what is an inator?"

"I'm an _evil scientist_, little girl. This is what I do." The brunette chuckled.

Isabella glowered. "I'm _not_ a little girl, Doofenshmirtz. I am fifteen years old!"

He waved her statement away as if it were a pesky fly. "I plan to take over the Tri-State Area someday. This requires me to build inators. Unfortunately…nearly everything I build explodes. Not that Perry the Platypus is any help." He grumbled. "I haven't seen him in a while though. You'd think he would have tried to thwart me already."

There were a few seconds of silence before both commented simultaneously, "You don't think…?"

After a few seconds more, a single word left both their lips in unison. "Nah." They said as they shook their heads.


	20. Someday

Chapter 20: Someday

Odyssey and Nova were alone in the training room talking.

"I can't believe that idiot doesn't know what a unicorn is." Nova pouted. "It's ridiculous to expect me to answer to something as silly as 'pointy-horned horsey'." She was focused on a crack in the floor, her head bent over in irritation.

Odyssey crossed over to her as he spoke. "Why does it even matter what he thinks, Nova?" He stopped in front of her. "You yourself said he was an idiot."

Nova lifted her head to look him in the eye and they bumped noses. They both flushed and Odyssey stepped backward awkwardly. "Th-thanks, Odyssey." Nova blushed lightly.

He nodded and bowed his head. "Think nothing of it, my lady."

Smirking, she told him, "Alright, hot shot. You can have your high mannerisms back, if it means you'll treat me like a queen."

He flushed a little. "Makes me wish I had learned the rest of the feather dance." He mumbled a little.

She flushed a little darker now. "I'd like to see that someday. The unicorn tradition isn't nearly as…graceful."

Odyssey snorted. "The unicorn tradition is violent and deplorable."

Nova sniffed. "I may not appreciate how gory it can get, but that is the tradition. It's what's always been done, and I don't care to go against it."

"My apologies, my lady." He bowed his head gentlemanly, "I always assumed you didn't care to observe two pride-filled stallions fight a bloody battle over you." Odyssey replied softly as he edged closer.

"I never expressed my desire for such." Nova retorted, edging closer as well, then admitted softly, "I might prefer to see your feather dance instead."

He bowed his head and looked up at her. "Perhaps someday you may get to see it, Nova."

Flushing once more, she nuzzled him gently. "I'll hold you to that, Odyssey."

By this time, Isabella and Phineas slid into the training room. "Oh Phineas, you look so manly with that sword."

Phineas smiled back at her, completely oblivious as usual. "Thanks, Isabella." Then he walked over to Odyssey.

While the redhead talked to the pegasus rather animatedly, Isabella crossed over to where Nova stood, a disappointed pout on her face. "I could just put a love spell on him, you know." The unicorn offered as the two of them sat down beside the mat, letting the other two take the floor.

Isabella smirked, laughing a little. "The only way I'd consider that would be if _you'd_ put one on Odyssey as well." Nova gave her a look. "Oh, don't give me that. I see the way you look at him."

Nova flushed again. "Fair enough." She mumbled, and Isabella rested her head on the unicorn's mane. They let their gazes drift in the direction of where the others stood, Isabella to Phineas and Nova to Odyssey. "Someday." Nova promised quietly. "Someday."


	21. Moral-Twisted Machine-Adoring Pachyderm

Chapter 21: Moral-Twisted Machine-Adoring Pachyderm

It was at dinner several days later that Doofenshmirtz declared, "I think we need to address the evil, large, inator-loving elephant in the room."

"Since when has there been a moral-twisted, machine-adoring Pachyderm in the mess hall?" Ferb raised an eyebrow as he spooned haggis into his mouth.

The self-proclaimed evil scientist snorted. "No, I mean we need to breach the uncomfortable fact that your suit is different than everyone else's on board. Excluding mine, of course."

Isabella, Phineas, Baljeet, Buford, Nova, and Odyssey all glanced up at him from their food, shrugged, and then returned to eating.

"What?" Doofenshmirtz asked confusedly, "Why doesn't anyone else find it weird?"

Baljeet spoke up, not bothering to look up from his plate or to stop eating. "Ferb was with the elite fleet." He shrugged, spooning chili into his mouth, "When he came aboard, he kept his uniform because we did not have anything else to give him."

"Wait, you were in the elite fleet?" Doof looked shocked as he turned to look at Ferb. "You're just a kid!"

"I certainly was at the time. I was only fourteen when I first joined their ranks. They'd found me through one of their in-school recruiting programs, and I wasn't about to pass up a chance to put my heightened skills to good use."

"Ferb really should have been in college since we entered seventh grade." Isabella explained. "He only continued to stay in the public school system because he refused to leave any of us behind."

"That, and the rather sobering fact that most child prodigies who attend college early in life are prone to severe emotional stress later in their lives." Ferb agreed with a nod. "So I joined them. It was challenging but rewarding, for the most part. Due to unforeseen circumstances, my position among the elite fleet was terminated earlier this year."

"But you're really close to everyone here, right?" Doofenshmirtz reasoned. "So why would you choose to fight on opposite sides?"

"I joined before the news came out about the alien king Vun-Daan." Ferb pointed out. "By that time, I was already sending home the benefits I was earning and I didn't want to disappoint my family back home." Ferb flushed and stared into his haggis, silent now.

It was Phineas who placed a hand on his shoulder, not ignoring what Ferb was thinking but not going into detail. "Once the news broke out, Candace was so infuriated she immediately signed up to captain a rebel vessel. I elected to go with her, and when I told everyone else, they decided to come as well. They too wanted to fight against the elite fleet's plan to allow Vun-Daan to have full control over the Earth."

The self-proclaimed evil scientist frowned. "So that's what's been happening. I suppose I _am_ a bit behind on the news. My plans for Tri-State Area domination have taken precedence over my life to the point that I didn't even notice the possibility of the Earth being taken over, my dreams dashed in the process!"

"So you're an evil scientist who wants to take over the Tri-State Area who is constantly foiled by a platypus secret agent." Nova repeated. "I still question why no one else thinks he's an idiot."

"Not cool, pointy-horned horsey." Doofenshmirtz shook his head as he shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth. "Not cool."


	22. Letting Nightshade Come Along

Chapter 22: Letting Nightshade Come Along

The British-born young man was on his way to repair the intercom and communications systems when he nearly ran right into (or rather right _through_) Nightshade.

He squinted for a moment, trying to understand what was different about her, and then realized it was her eyes. They were no longer black, but yellow, only the pupil remained the color of coal. "Nightshade?" He whispered curiously, "What're you doing here?"

"My host got too old for me." She shrugged, "Since I accidentally showed up here, you being a partial Nightmare vessel and all, I figured I'd just hang 'round here until your ship makes a stop. Then I'll find myself a new host."

"Do you mind if I ask you another question, Nightshade?" He asked her as he set his heavy box of tools on the floor.

She shook her head. "Nah, go ahead. S'what I'm here for."

He frowned at that, but asked anyway, "So I _am_ a partial Nightmare vessel, right?"

"I hope that isn't your one question." She chuckled. "But yes, you are."

"Do you know of any partial Nightmare vessels existing before me, and if so, what can you tell me about my chances of living a normal, healthy life?" The green-haired man asked worriedly, and Nightshade snorted.

"That sounds like a survey question from _Nightmare Monthly_." She observed. "And no, there haven't been any reported cases of partial Nightmare vessels before. As for your daily life, I have a strict no-future-explanations policy for the most part, but here's what I can tell you: healthy, yes. Normal? No. There's nothing the slightest bit normal about being the only partial Nightmare vessel in recorded history."

"What do you mean by 'no-future-explanations policy'?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said you only had one question?" She said with a smile, but answered him anyway. "You don't know much about us Nightmares, do you?" She observed. "Nightmares have the ability to travel through dimensions, space, and time. Some are down with revealing life-altering information. I'm strictly old school."

"So you know how this all turns out and you won't even bother to tell me except it gives you the chance to rub it in my face." He commented bitterly.

She nodded, a sly smile etched on her face. "Yep. Where else would the fun be?"

He frowned at that. "You're beginning to sound an awful lot like Genderra." He said with a grumble, picking up his over weighted bag of tools. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a communications system to fix." He began to walk away.

She very nearly skipped up to him, if one ignored the fact that her feet hovered rather than touched the floor. "I'll need to acquaint myself with the ship before I go into a state of hibernation. Mind if I come along?"

"Only if you don't insist on interrupting my work." He amended as he pressed the button to call for the elevator.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Nightshade queried as they slid into the now-open elevator.

Just as Ferb selected the button to return to the engine room and brig, the rather demented, bug-eyed Nightmare stuck his head through the elevator panel, its face almost touching his. "_I like blood!_"

Ferb groaned, but Nightshade only rolled her eyes and flicked a single talon in its face, sending it floating back through the panel. "Oh, can it, Spike." She sighed. "Don't mind him. Too many dissipations, and yet still not enough, if you ask me. If he bothers you again, just flick him. If that doesn't work, remind if of his happy place." She grimaced, and after a beat of silence, told him, "Before you ask, yes, his happy place is filled with blood. That's all you need or want to know."

"You know," Ferb told her Nightshade with a rather wry smile. "When it all comes down to it, I may appreciate having you around after all."


	23. White Holes and Hull Repair

Chapter 23: White Holes and Hull Repair

After he finished showing Nightshade around the ship, she finally curled up and collapsed into a state of hibernation, which allowed Ferb to get to work on the communications systems.

He fell into routine then, settling back into the rhythm he had discovered not too long ago.

All was quiet now. Well, relatively quiet. The engines gargled and clanked, processing the oil rather inefficiently, the wires shorted and sparked insistently, keeping him on his toes, and the gears grinded and clanked rather disagreeably as he tried to fix them.

No matter what anyone else could or would say about it, Ferb felt like he was one with the ship at moments like this. In many ways, it was almost as if it was alive, the ebb and flow of the vessel as soothing as being held in a loved one's arms.

It was good to have a goal to work toward, to know that he could wake up the next morning and be needed, appreciated.

He was very nearly absorbed into his work, startled out of his routine only because he was hanging on for dear life as the vessel shook with a jolt.

An alarm began blaring hesitantly, almost as if it too wasn't sure what was going on. The proximity alarm.

He shot his head up to look out the side window.

After blinking a few times, he dropped the wrench, which fell with a loud _thunk_, and stumbled dazedly over to the intercom panel on the far wall.

"Candace. Isabella. It doesn't matter who it is. I need to speak with whomever is in charge at the moment."

"Ferb?" The orange-haired captain's voice crackled back to him over the intercom worriedly. "That's the proximity alarm, isn't it?" He heard a faint shuffling noise, as if she were turning around. "A black hole!" She exclaimed.

The green-haired young man shook his head. "Don't bother following the black hole protocol, Sis, it won't work on this. It isn't a black hole at all. It's a white hole."

"We need to get out of here while we can. Think of a white hole as where everything from a black hole ends up, shooting out at literally the speed of light." The vessel began to move as he spoke. "Get as far away as we can manage, but try to keep the cargo ship within sensor range. Anything from light particles to an entire _sun_ could come out of there, and even with these shields, at these speeds, anything with the density of _cotton_ could cause serious damage."

"Understood." She called back. "On the plus side, it appears the intercom system is working." It was possible to _hear_ her genuine smile over the intercom, and he couldn't help but smile back. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to talk much, little brother. But it's good to have you back."

The communication was disrupted as the ship shook violently for several minutes. After Ferb would describe as like being a fly caught in a wind tunnel or a ship caught in a hurricane, he send a call to the control room once more as he watched the white hole flatten and disintegrate into the surrounding space. "It's over." He murmured quietly.

"How does it look, Ferb?" She asked conscernably.

"We got lucky, Sis. We're going to need some hull repairs, but the hull wasn't in the best shape to begin with. This just gives me an excuse to fix it finally.

"I don't mean to rush you, as much as it sounds like it, but how soon do you plan to start on the hull?"

"As soon as I can. The communications system needs a few tweaks. Then I plan to head on out."

"Start tomorrow, little bro. You need more sleep. You also need to train Doofenshmirtz to use a jet pack and spaceship power tools."

"Doofenshmirtz, Candace? Really?" Ferb replied incredulously.

"He's the one best suited for the job, Ferb. Anyone else either doesn't have the experience or the qualifications, or will be busy at the time."

He let out a sigh. "Fair enough." The green-haired young man knew he needed someone to go out on the hull with him, but he was highly apprehensive about letting the crazy doctor come along. But he also knew that with the brunette around, tomorrow was going to be quite an adventure.


	24. Airlocks and Seething Captains

Chapter 24: Airlocks and Seething Captains

"Candace," Isabella warned, "You can't legally or ethically blow him out the airlock."

Seething, the orange-haired young woman replied, "I am the captain! I can do anything I choose!"

"Captain or not, even you have limits, Sis." Phineas argued, "I know you're mad, but this is a bit crazy, even for you."

They were in the control room, watching Ferb clean up the mess Doof had caused out in the hull.

"He crossed a line! There has to be _some_ repercussions for this!"

"We're not saying that there shouldn't be any." Nova pointed out, "We're just suggesting that there has to be a better solution than blowing him out the airlock."

Odyssey nodded in agreement. "Yes, Captain." He agreed easily. "Perhaps we should wait until the young lad returns. He is the one cleaning up the mess the man caused. It would only be just to allow him to select the repercussions that should follow his actions."

At that very moment, Ferb radioed in. "Jetpack One to Control Room."

Candace pressed the button to accept the transmission from his headset. "Control Room. You're on speaker, Ferb."

"Who all is there?" The green-haired young man asked as he scrubbed determinedly at the hull.

"Everybody except Baljeet and Buford." Isabella replied. "Apparently Baljeet had a new theory or something he wanted to test out. I offered to help…but he told me I wouldn't be able to do what he needed me to do."

Ferb rolled his eyes, thankful that no one else could see him at that moment. "On another note, I highly recommend something be done about Doofenshmirtz." He sighed. "Cleaning this mess ought to be first on the list. Whatever he used, it's not coming off. We may have to paint over it."

A beeping noise resounded through the control room. "The ship's sensors have picked up a second vessel on the scanners, sir." Gretchen called. "They're hailing us."

"Keep cleaning, Ferb. We'll keep the channel open for you." Then she turned to Gretchen. "Patch them through."

The spectacled brunette saluted and soon an image floated before them on the big screen. "Hello." A voice greeted them, their image flickering on the screen as it came into focus. "The name's Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. I believe you have my father aboard?"

"Vanessa?" Ferb echoed.

"Ferb?" She called out, "Where are you?"

"I'm on a space walk out on the hull." He waved toward her spaceship. "I'm cleaning up one the messes your father made." He said with a sigh. "Not exactly the father-son-in-law bonding I had in mind."

Laughing, she shook her head. "You guys don't mind if I come aboard, then? To see if I can get Dad to go home?"

"Not a problem, Vanessa." Candace acknowledged, interrupting the transmission jumping conversation. "It's been a while."

"Yes, yes it has." The punk-goth woman agreed as she ended the transmission.

"I'll be bringing the both of us back aboard soon." Ferb said as he came back inside, dragging a way-too-happy Doofenshmirtz with him. "We'll join you in the control room."

Several minutes later, after a rather exasperated Vanessa pried herself from her father's death-grip of a hug, Phineas asked, "So, Vanessa, how did you know your father was aboard our ship, as opposed to someone else's?"

She laughed. "Because only my dad would try to rename a ship _The Freedom-inator_."


	25. The Fake Doctor's Nightmare

Chapter 25: The Fake Doctor's Nightmare

They were sitting in the mess hall chatting while they waited for Doof to pack up what meager belongings he had on board.

"So, what happened, Ferb? I thought you were a part of the elite fleet." Vanessa commented, "You're even still wearing their uniform."

"My position was terminated several months ago. I'm not exactly at much liberty to talk about the incident."

Phineas frowned at that, but didn't press the matter. "Since we're on the run most of the time, we really didn't have a spare uniform to give him."

"I find it interesting how your father commented on virtually the same thing." Ferb said idly.

Vanessa made a rather disgruntled noise after that.

"Speaking of Doof," Nova began, "I hope you realize that your father is an idiot."

Isabella reprimanded her, "Nova," she hissed, "You ought to speak better of him. He _did_ earn a doctorate in _something_."

The older young woman snorted. "Oh, that old thing? He didn't _earn_ that. He bought it online for fifteen bucks."

"A well-spent fifteen bucks, I might add." Doofenshmirtz commented as he slid into the room.

She sighed. "Ready to go, Dad?"

"Is the ship warmed up, Vannie?"

She groaned, "_Yes_, Dad. You _know_ I hate it when you call me that."

A rummaging sound had Ferb straining to listen. Putting a hand on her arm, he whispered, "Shhh. I think I hear something."

Standing, he walked toward the panel closest to the elevator. Prying it open, he let out a sigh. "Really, Nightshade? Why did you choose _this_ panel of all places to go into hibernation?"

She turned her head to look at him from where she lay curled up against the soothing warmth of the heated panels. "What, am I in your way, Ferb? I never intended to be a bother." She blinked. "Wait. I'm awake. We haven't landed anywhere yet, have we?" Ferb shook his head, and she frowned. "Then why am I awake? And why is my belly full? Unless…does anyone have any irrational fears aboard?"

The elevator slid open now, and a flustered and out-of-breath Baljeet ran in, Buford behind him. "That…" He said trying to catch his breath, his face bright red and his uniform rumpled, the bully looking rather smugly at him from behind, "…would be me. That would also explain my increased fear in cauliflower recently."

"Don't forget me!" The self-proclaimed evil scientist exclaimed, "I have 'em too!"

"Yeah, that vending machine thing is ridiculous." Vanessa complained with a sigh.

"Uh-uh." He rolled his eyes, "Say that again when you run out of quarters to feed the snack food dictators."

"Well, I suppose that's that then." Nightshade decided happily, "I can't fall back into hibernation again. I suppose I'll just have to hang 'round here for now."

Ferb smiled weakly. "I suppose I won't mind that too much."

Nova narrowed her eyes at him. "Ferb, I thought you said that the only Nightmare talking to you was barely coherent."

Ferb jerked his head rather noncommittally in response. "Yes and no. That was Spike. He _is_ incoherent. That was also before I met Nightshade."

"And you're bothering to converse with this _Nightmare_ because…?" Odyssey asked rather incredulously.

"I understand why you find this uncomfortable," The yellow-eyed Nightmare began as she slid out of the panel, "but I mean you no harm. In fact, I don't mean anyone any harm. Ever, if I can help it."

"It's come to light that not all Nightmares are bad. They actually can be very helpful." Ferb supplied, hoping to win over his friends.

Nova frowned and gave him a pointful glare. "How can _you_ of all people say that, Ferb?"

"Remember when we were younger? Those nightmares we had? Phineas, I distinctly recall you being afraid that there was a monster in the closet." He turned to Isabella. "It was under your bed for you, wasn't it?"

"So?" Isabella crossed her arms and glared at Nightshade. "What's your point, Ferb?"

"Those were Nightmares. As terrifying as they were, they had a purpose. Nightmares teach people morals, right from wrong. Most Nightmares take children as hosts for that reason."

Phineas looked confused. "So…some Nightmares are good?"

Nightshade nodded. "Yeah." She said with a smile, "Most of us aren't like the one that infected Ferb."

"And…what about the ones who are?" Isabella asked worriedly.

"Like humans, there are those who follow the code of moral conduct and there are those who don't." Nightshade explained to them, "The erroneous ones are ethically twisted, and more-often-than-not cause their hosts to go insane."

Nova frowned. "How do you keep the children from going insane, then?"

"Most of the nightmares we give them are mild. Sometimes we just feed of their natural healthy fears."

"I think I like the crazy ones better." Doof commented with a goofy grin, and Ferb smiled slightly when Vanessa rolled her eyes.

Nightshade snorted. "That _would _make sense, Heinz. Considering you've had one of the craziest and stupidest ones infecting you since before you were born."

Everyone excluding Nightshade looked shocked and stared rather wide-eyed at Doofenshmirtz.

Shrugging, he put his hands up in question, "What?"


	26. Clueless Fathers and Planets of Smiles

Chapter 26: Clueless Fathers and Planets of Smiles

Heinz Doofenshmirtz sat curled in the command chair of the Conqueror-inator 2, trying to understand the basic functions of the ship. "Vannie…how do you?" He would begin, and she'd interrupt him with a sigh.

She would flip various levers, and switches then press several buttons. "There, Dad." She would say as she cracked her back.

"And what about…?" He would begin again, and she would roll her eyes.

"Just use the auto-Norm." When he only gave her a blank look, she pointed to a button on the far wall. "You see that giant red button?" He moved to press it, and she told him, "Don't press it." He dropped his hand and pouted like a scolded child. "You see that other giant red button?" She pointed to the opposite wall, equidistant from his chair. He moved to press the other one and she said, "Don't press it either." He gave her another pouting glare, and she sighed again. "Just press the gnome-shaped button on the console, Dad. That'll start the auto-Norm. Then you can be fully dependent on him like you always are. I know the last four birthdays and Christmases have been filled with gifts Norm found." Crossing her arms, she pressed the button on the wall to call for the elevator. "I'm going home to Mom." She declared as he pressed the button as she'd instructed. "Oh, and Dad?" She called over her shoulder to him, "I'm taking the last escape pod."

"Oh, that's alright." He waved her statement away, "There's a hidden one in the wall I build for Perry the Platypus." He smiled as the auto-Norm booted up. "Just because he's my nemesis doesn't mean I want him to die."

Rolling her eyes again, she let out a sigh. "Whatever, Dad. Just, whatever you do, don't press either of the two buttons, especially at the same time. And try not to get yourself blown up again." Then she slipped into the elevator and was gone.

As soon as Doof was sure that his daughter was gone, he managed, with some stretching, to press both buttons at the same time. The whole ship shook violently, and a proximity alarm started to sound. Shrugging, he moved out of orbit as the auto-Norm avoided it. Closing his eyes, he let himself relax, knowing that he'd find his nemesis soon.

Back aboard the vessel _Freedom_, Ferb gazed out the mess hall's large window, watching as the escape pod shot out of the Conqueror-inator 2, sighing as it slowly disappeared from sight.

Phineas placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sure you'll see her again, Ferb."

Isabella nodded and gave him a quick hug. "You certainly run into her often enough. Maybe next time you'll have a chance."

Phineas smiled at her and she wrapped her arms around the redhead as she returned his smile.

Ferb nodded quietly in agreement and, turning away from the window, gave each of them a small smile. "Thank you."

Isabella shrugged, still smiling bright. "No problem, Ferb. That's what friends are for."

"Friends? I've been programmed to trap you and your friends." A rude, mechanical voice declared. "Oh, it's you again. Finally come to visit me, have you? Well, it's a little late to mend this friendship, now isn't it?" The voice sniffed.

Ferb turned back to the window, where, at the speed they were travelling, they found the tower, cruising right along with them. "Oh, hello, Tower." He looked at Phineas and Isabella. "I wondered when this day would come. We've reached the edge of the galaxy."

"Yes, I suppose you have." The tower sneered, "You've also reached the end of your leash. You're trapped, and I suppose you'll just have to live with that, won't you."

Nova frowned. "I remember running into this guy on the way here. How do you know him?"

Odyssey nodded. "I too required access through the force field this individual has. What, by chance, is your relation with the rude defense tower that has a complex and mildly flawed design?"

Phineas let out a small sigh. "Ferb and I built it five, almost six, years ago. It wasn't designed to be a defense tower initially, but I suppose it fits now. Originally, it was supposed to be the ultimate escape tower, like Harry Houdini. Unfortunately, the day we tried it, it went a little crazy and started acting…_rude_ all of a sudden."

"Because they had programmed it to trap them and their friends," Isabella started, "It encompassed the entire galaxy."

"It's a good thing Meap the alien is our friend," Ferb reasoned, "or we'd have been stuck on Earth this whole time."

"Thankfully, that cargo ship can't travel through the barrier." Phineas pointed out, "We don't have any way to get through."

"Putting aside the fact that no, both Odyssey and I have the ability to get through the barrier," Nova glanced over at the winged equine, "I doubt the cargo ship is travelling beyond it anyway."

Odyssey glanced back at the unicorn, an ineffable expression on his face. "Nova is correct. The location we are heading for is not beyond the barrier. If I'm not mistaken," He nodded in direction of the window, "it is directly before us."

"That is a lot of water." Baljeet said quietly as they all gazed out at the large, spherical planet entirely covered in water, breaking the silence.

Ferb pressed the button for the intercom. "Candace, does the computer have any records of this planet?"

As Candace replied, they all watched as the cargo ship began to draw in closer to the planet's surface. "Owned by Traveler's Paradise, the planet has recently become a home-away-from-home for many who decided to venture off-world. Considering the original name is unpronounceable to the human tongue, it is more commonly known to humans as—"

"The Planet of Smiles!" Isabella interrupted excitedly. "Or, the Smiley Face Planet, as I like to call it." She pulled out a book, the smile on her face seemingly hiding something. "Coined because of the two large islands on both sides and the small peppering of islands to the south, the Planet of Smiles is known for its rich, relaxing atmosphere. Travel between the larger islands occur hourly, and housing is made readily and affordable for the average middle-class citizen of first-world countries." She shut the book with a happy sigh, seemingly trying to hide something, as everyone gaped at her. "S-sorry, Captain. I guess I got a little excited there."

The orange-haired captain chuckled over the intercom. "It's no problem, Isabella. I guess you know more about it than the computer does, that's all."

"Isabella, how _do_ you know so much about it?" Phineas asked, surprised.

"N-newest Fireside Girl handbook, o-of course." She said, her voice wavering slightly, "Th-the new version has an entire ch-chapter on it." Then she put the book away.

"What are the small islands used for?" Nova asked her.

"Oh, Traveler's Paradise left them to the original inhabitants of the planet, the aliens who named it and their descendants who still live there."

"That is the direction we ought to head in then." Odyssey reasoned. "Less crowded, and I doubt any alien creature would be allowed on Traveler's Paradise property."

"Candace, did you get that?" Ferb asked her.

"Affirmative." She responded. Over the intercom, the orange-haired captain could be heard rather faintly calling out, "Gretchen, set a course for—!"

The proximity alarm blared loudly through the intercom, causing a stereo effect as the rest of the ship soon followed.

"Candace, what's happening?!" Ferb exclaimed over the ear-splitting wail of the alarm.

"The sensors didn't pick up the asteroid before it was too late!" She called back, "It was pulled out of orbit by the rocking of a large ship! Brace yourself for impact, we're going down!"

Only seconds after her warning, they were all shoved to the floor of the ship as the two masses collided. Seconds after that, the supposedly fixed piece of space junk began falling rapidly. Its destination: the planet itself.


	27. Destroyed Mailboxes and Meeting Mothers

Chapter 27: Destroyed Mailboxes and Meeting Mothers

Ferb let out a groan as he blinked away the last remaining tendrils of unconsciousness. After which, a wave of shock hit him. Glancing around, the green-haired young man noted that he was most definitely _not_ in the mess hall anymore.

Looking around him, he found the room remarkably familiar, a fact that he found incredibly odd and puzzled him to no end.

Hearing a yawning groan, the British-born young man looked down to where Phineas sat at his feet, leaning against the front of the couch, the redhead's arms wrapped around Isabella. "Ferb, doesn't this look like one of the houses we visited while helping Candace find her Mary McGuffin doll?" Phineas asked, not bothering to extricate himself from Isabella, either because he hadn't noticed their embrace or because he truly did want to keep her safe.

Looking around the room, Ferb nodded. The home they'd visited had been on Earth, but it was virtually the same, which surprised him.

Candace, he noted, was on the couch beside him; Phineas and Isabella, of course, were at his feet. The Fireside Girls were crowded in one corner, Odyssey and Nova were curled up together in another.

Baljeet and Buford rushed in from a side room a few moments later, both panting, their faces flushed. Ferb colored a little at that, but didn't comment, and no one else noticed. Soon they were all awake. Isabella smiled into Phineas' embrace, mumbling words of appreciation into his chest.

A black-haired, middle-aged woman came in, a smile on her face. "Oh good, you're all awake. After a crash like that, it's good you're all alright."

Candace smiled. "Thank you for saving myself and my crew, Mrs.…?"

"Doofenshmirtz. Charlene Doofenshmirtz. But please, call me Charlene. I haven't been married to Heinz for years."

"Heinz Doofenshmirtz?" Ferb echoed, "Do you know Vanessa, then?"

Charlene laughed. "I think I'd know my own daughter."

Phineas smiled and glanced up at Ferb. Then he looked at Charlene. "We talked to her only a little while ago. How is—?"

He was cut off by a feminine voice calling down the stairs. "Mom, I'm going out, I've got class in two hours!"

Charlene called back to her, "Alright, dear. Be careful, the spaceship still hasn't been removed from the front lawn."

Some shuffling was heard, as if she were rustling through a closet, then a reply came. "Spaceship? Why does that sound like something Dad would say?"

Charlene laughed a little, then called back, "I suppose it does, doesn't it? The…_Freedom_ crash landed in our yard and I volunteered to make sure the crew was alright."

A series of hurried thumps were heard as she rushed down the stairs, and moments later, Vanessa ran into the room, going over to immediately embrace Ferb. Glancing around at all of them, she asked, "Are you guys alright?! What happened?"

Ferb smiled up at her silently, unable to say anything, so Phineas spoke instead. "We tracked the cargo ship to the small islands to the south. The scanners were distracted, so it was unable to alert us to the fact that there was a giant asteroid barreling directly at us."

Candace sighed. "And with the state of the ship, we're either going to have to wait until it's fixed or find another way down there. Considering we only have one engineer on this ship—"

"Hey!" Baljeet complained, and Buford gave him a look.

"You're a _theoretical_ engineer, Baljeet." Candace insisted, "It doesn't count." She sighed. "Since Ferb's the only one working on the ship who can actually repair it, we'd be here for a very long time waiting for it to be complete, even at the fast rate he manages to work."

"Well, whatever we do, we'll need parts. Right, Ferb?" Phineas asked cheerfully, excited at the prospect.

"Hmmm…?" Ferb responded, awakening from his haze of sorts, "Oh. Yes, yes we will. Just like the old days, I suppose."

Then Isabella whispered to the redhead, so quietly she thought he couldn't hear her, "If you can hold me like this Phineas, why won't you kiss me?"

Phineas said nothing, only frowned, and let his arms fall from around her waist. Turning to Charlene, he asked, "Where would the best place be to find spare parts?"

"The junkyard, I suppose." She responded.

As they chatted, Ferb asked Vanessa, "When all of this is over, when we find Perry and Phineas' quest is complete, could I have the honor of taking you out on a date?"

"I'll tell you what, Ferb." She let go of him, let her arms drop to her side as she looked at him. "When this is all over, if you're eighteen, I'll take you up on it. If you haven't yet found the love of your life and have a kid on the way when I see you, that is."

He gave her a wry smile. "I doubt an affection that has lasted as long as this could so easily fade."

"You really have liked me for all this time, haven't you?" She smiled. "You always have been quite the gentleman."

He chuckled. "Well I suppose I was never very subtle about it."

That caused her to laugh as well. "No, no you were not. Subtlety was never your strong suit." He blushed softly at that.

Charlene interrupted them, reminding Vanessa, "Dear, don't you have class in an hour and a half?"

Vanessa let out a shocked noise of alarm. "Yes, I do!" She stood, and rubbing Ferb's hair affectionately, told them all, "I'm glad all of you are alright. I'll be back in a few hours to help all of you settle in for the night, guys, okay?" She waved, and grabbing her bag as she left the room, she headed out to attend her classes.


	28. SilentStep-Brothers&JunkYardExpeditions

Chapter 28: Surprisingly Silent Step-Brothers and Junk Yard Expeditions

Much to everyone's surprise, Phineas was notably silent on the journey toward the junkyard. Ferb, very unnerved by this fact, stopped him as soon as he could, spinning the redhead around to look him in the eye. The green-haired young man arched an eyebrow.

Phineas shook his head. Glancing at Baljeet, Buford, and Odyssey, he said quietly, "Later, Ferb."

The reason he let himself frown at all was because neither Isabella nor the Fireside Girls were present, and they would pester him to no end for the truth. They'd decided to stay back with Charlene to make up the beds for the night. Nova had opted to stay behind as well, but before they'd left, she'd exchanged rather meaningful looks with the winged equine that only the two of them could interpret.

Ferb nodded now, but gave him a look the redhead could only interpret to mean, _I'll hold you to that, brother._

When they reached the junkyard, however, all thoughts of what had occurred earlier that afternoon vanished from the young redhead's mind, old childhood memories and habits taking over once more, and he became a vessel for his ten-year-old self again.

"Oh my gosh, Ferb!" Phineas shouted excitedly, "Look at this propeller! And just look at this engine!"

After a few minutes of dashing about excitedly, Phineas exclaimed, "Break out the blueprint paper, Ferb! It's time to plan this puppy!"

So while the two step-brothers settled down to start planning, Buford dragged Baljeet off with him, muttering something about the toilets as an excuse.

By the time the theoretical engineer and weapons specialist had returned, Phineas and Ferb had already began working on the solar-powered boat they had designed.

Once they had four sets of hands working on the boat, they were finished within the hour and managed to move it to the Doofenshmirtz residence within a fourth of that time.

When they all were curled into Charlene's living room again, Isabella handed out lemonade to everyone, her eyes darting around wildly, clearly hiding something.

Ferb raised an eyebrow at her as he sipped at his glass of lemonade. "Isabella," he began as soon as he'd swallowed, "is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Sighing, she averted her gaze as she began, "I may have known about this planet before the Fireside Girl handbook came out and only used the fact that there was a chapter in it as a prop."

"How could you have known about it, Isabella?" Candace started, "It's for families to relocate if they have family members who live off world…oh." She said quietly. "Oh, I see."

Ferb said nothing, only nodded, but his eyes shone brightly with realization and the smallest hint of a smile shone upon his face.

Phineas, on the other hand, was utterly baffled. "What is it, Candace?" He turned to Isabella. "What are you talking about?"

"It's our parents, Phineas." Isabella said as she looked him in the eye. "Our siblings, too. They're all here, living on the Planet of Smiles."


	29. Almost Like Returning Home

Chapter 29: Almost Like Returning Home

Their mission to the southern islands was abandoned for an afternoon as everyone took off to Maple Drive, intent on seeing their family and friends again. Nova and Odyssey opted to stay behind, deciding it was best to not create a fuss for the entire street.

The Flynn-Fletcher residence, which had been occupied by only Linda and Lawrence for nearly three years, was suddenly filled with the loud cacophony that the three siblings brought with them wherever they went.

Linda and Lawrence welcomed them back with surprised smiles and open arms, simply glad to see their children again. After much rejoicing, they decided to host a party in their backyard, inviting everyone on the entire street. Isabella and the Fireside Girls helped deliver the news, and soon the backyard was once again filled with people who loved them.

"Oh Isa," Vivian Garcia-Shapiro had her arms wrapped around Isabella in a big hug. "I missed you so much."

"Yo tambien, mama, yo tambien." Isabella smiled widely.

Stacy hugged Ginger tightly, and when she passed her younger sister off to her parents, she was immediately enveloped by Candace, who was nearly in tears at the sight of her best friend. "Make room on board, Candy." She whispered in the captain's ear, "I'm coming along. And if I'm right, I think someone else would like to join the crew as well."

Confused, Candace turned around as she spoke, "What do you—…" Her voice trailed off as she watched the Johnson family slip into the backyard. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, Suzy…and Jeremy.

The orange-haired young woman tackled the blond to the ground, exclaiming his name gleefully. "Jeremy!" She laughed as she buried her face into his neck. "I thought I'd lost you to the elite fleet."

He laughed, and pulling her to her feet and him to his, he told her, "You never lost me, Candace. I quit a while ago. I've been waiting here with my family for a rebel ship to come along. I think it's about time for me to start calling someone 'sir' again, Captain."

"Oh Jeremy." She laughed along with him, "You know family reserves the right to not use titles."

"I'm family now, am I?" He raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. "So would that make me your brother then?"

Pecking him softly on the lips, she laughed. "No. I'm strongly against, incest, you know."

"So I'm your husband, then Candace?" He kissed her softly.

"Only if you want to be." She said with a smile.

"Flaunting much?" Isabella hissed as she walked by to get some refreshments.

Candace glanced over at Phineas, who seemed to be having a rather animated discussion with his father. "Don't look now, Isabella, but I think my brother's giving you moony eyes."

The ebony-haired young woman spun around so fast that Odyssey was worried about whiplash.

"Don't you think that was a bit mean, Candace?" Nova asked. "You of all people ought to know what she's been through."

Candace shrugged. "She'll get over it, Nova."

"The prank or her crush?" Odyssey asked curiously.

"Either, both, I don't know, Odyssey." Her voice suddenly switched from exasperated to alarmed. "Odyssey?! Nova?! I thought all of us agreed it was best for the two of you to stay back at Charlene's!"

"Uh, Candace?" Jeremy started.

"Not now, Jeremy. As captain I must assert my authority."

"Don't worry, Captain." Odyssey replied honorably. "Nova was thoughtful enough to supply us with an invisibility charm." The unicorn flushed a little at that, a small smile on her face.

"Then how am I able to see you?" Candace queried.

"Candace, I—" Jeremy began again.

She cut him off. "I _said_ not now, Jeremy. This is very important _Freedom_ related business."

"The charm prevents anyone who's never met us from seeing us. Or, for that matter, hearing us either." Nova explained.

"So what you're saying is…" She glanced over at Jeremy, who looked both irritable and confused.

"Candace, _who are you talking to_?"

She kissed him softly. "I'm sorry, baby, I didn't know. Jeremy, I'd like you to meet Nova and Odyssey. Nova and Odyssey, this is my boyfriend Jeremy."

Judging by the look on Jeremy's face, the two equines came into view.

Nova gave him the equine-equivalent of a smile. "Nice to meecha. I'm Nova of New Beginnings."

Odyssey bowed his head. "I am called Odyssey of Light. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Nova and Odyssey have been traveling with us lately. They've come to assist Phineas with his quest, Jeremy."

"Quest?" Jeremy echoed, "How much did I miss in the last several years?"

"A lot." Candace admitted, "But to be fair, most of it happened in the last several months."

"I guess you've got a lot of explaining to do." He replied.

"We're heading for the southern islands in the morning. Until we anchor there, we have plenty of time. Plus, we need to explain this all to Stacy, too. She's decided to come along as well."

The rest of the afternoon was nearly uneventful, with people just enjoying being around those they respected and loved, but as afternoon turned into evening, Candace decided to declare it a night, and everyone headed their separate ways. The _Freedom_ crew headed back for the night, the two new members walking along with them.

As they came across Charlene's house once more, Nova announced, "The spell is going to wear off in a minute."

"It's okay, Nova." Isabella replied with a smile and Stacy watched in shock as she seemingly reached out to hug air. "We're in the safe zone now."

Odyssey smiled and nudged Phineas playfully, the redhead laughing as the winged equine came into view for the entire street. "Odyssey, stop pushing!"

Stacy froze. "Will someone please explain to me what the _heck_ is going on?"

"These are our traveling companions, Stacy." Candace explained. "They came to help Phineas on his quest."

"They've been living on board for the last several months." Isabella added with a nod.

Nova nodded and introduced herself. "The name's Nova of New Beginnings. It's nice to meetcha, Stacy."

"They call me Odyssey of Light," Odyssey bowed his head.

"So you've been living with a unicorn and a pegasus for the last several months and didn't bother to _tell_ me?!"

Candace gave her a rather sheepish expression. "…yes?"

"Shows what kind of _friend_ you are." The Japanese-American young woman teased, poking her and giving her a rather tight hug.

The orange-haired captain hugged her best friend tightly, saying with a laugh, "Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it?"


	30. Terrifying Ferocious Man-eating,,,What?

Chapter 30: Terrifying, Ferocious, Man-eating…What?

The gang arrived at the northern most of the small islands within an hour of their departure, leaving them with most of the day to explore.

As soon as they anchored, Phineas and Ferb clamored out of the boat, the green-haired young man pulling out a scanner before he so much as took a step in any direction, unlike his companions, who began searching the beach almost immediately.

"Whatcha got there, Dillweed?" Buford asked, earning himself a glare from Isabella.

"It's a thermal x-ray scanner," Phineas explained. "Using multiple methods of observation, it'll be able to show us where they've taken Perry."

So with Ferb leading the way, the gang trudged through the forest, excluding Nova and Odyssey, who were hovering above, tracking their progress.

Shortly after they crossed the make-shift bridge to the second island, Baljeet hid behind Buford, sincerely spooked by a rustle in the thickly-leaved trees. "B-Buford, w-what was that?"

Buford stiffened at the contact, but focused his attention outward as he too heard a sound. "Probably jus' a rabbit, 'Jeet." The Weapons Specialist replied easily, but steadied his weapon nonetheless. "Stick close tah me, an' you'll be fine."

"Ferb, picking up anything on the scanner?" Phineas asked uneasily as the ground began to shake from the beating of feet.

"That doesn't sound like any rabbit I've ever heard." Isabella looked about anxiously as Ferb shook his head. Whatever it was, it was moving too fast to show up on the scanner.

The rumbling grew louder now, as if it were getting closer. Out of fear, Isabella grabbed Phineas' hand and held it tightly. He didn't look fearful, but his other hand rested tightly on the hilt of his sword.

Steeling themselves for the worst, the crew of the space vessel _Freedom_ turned to where the disturbance was coming from.

Then, in a quick blur of movement darting through the trees, a terrifying, ferocious, man- eating…rabbit appeared?

This rodent wasn't terrifying. Nor was it ferocious. And, judging by the way it nibbled on the grass, not man-eating either. But the ground had stopped shaking the second the rabbit had skidded to a halt.

Its eyes darted wildly, as if it were terrified of something. Before anyone could relax or even let out a sigh of relief, a giant lizard leapt out of the trees and snatched the rabbit up, consuming it quickly and without restraint.

"What _is_ that?" Stacy asked curiously, as if she were expecting one of her companions to understand what was going on.

"Ph-Phineas," Isabella stuttered, "W-what should we do?"

Phineas turned to his step-brother and they shared a moment of unspoken understanding. All Phineas asked was, "Tyrannosaurus Rex?"

Ferb nodded. "Tyrannosaurus Rex."

They froze, and their companions mimicked them, following suit.

The giant lizard beast turned to where the eleven of them stood and gave them all a look the closest to a frown that a lizard could make. "Are we playing a game, then?" The beast looked somewhat excited, "Can I play?"

"Ph-_Phineas_," Isabella managed to say through her teeth, "I can't move."

"Neither can I." Phineas hissed back.

The beast looked sad. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were playing a freeze game." It said with a sigh and lumbered away.

As soon as it disappeared from sight, much to everyone's relief, they were able to move again.

"What _was_ that?" Jeremy asked with a frown as they trudged further into the jungle.

"I do not know," Baljeet admitted as Phineas pushed back a large leafy branch blocking their path. Many of them let out audible gasps. Before them loomed a large building—a research center. "But I am pretty sure we are about to find out."


	31. Freezers and Strange Languages

Chapter 31: Freezers and Strange Languages

Getting into the facility had been easy enough, they all just walked through the front door. Ferb went directly into the control room, and the rest of them broke off into groups and went off and explored.

The first thing the green-haired young man did after restoring the power was begin to access the logs. The former had been easy, that technology was virtually the same.

Next, however, he had to access the mainframe. All of this required translating from this obscure alien language.

Deep in concentration, Ferb scowled at the rows and rows of seeming-gibberish on the screen before him. Even he couldn't afford to learn a new language right now—especially considering that judging by the style; it would take two full days to learn it instead of most others, which would have only taken a day at most.

"Well, it looks like _someone's_ busy." A voice teased.

Looking over his shoulder in the direction of the sound, he called, "Oh hello, Nightshade." He sighed, returning to his work to stare at the big screen covered in the obscure language.

"Need any help?" She asked as she stuck a talon into the machine.

"Don't mess with—!" He exclaimed as she pushed a button, which seemingly switched the words on the screen to English. "H-how?"

"Simple." She shrugged. "One of the Nightmares around here told me. There aren't many left around here, but the ones who are were very helpful. I can read some of the language too, if you need any help later."

"Well," He said softly, "Thank you." He had a small smile on his face.

She bowed her head, a grin on her face. "No problem. Let me know if you need anything, 'kay?" She told him, but he was already reabsorbed by the scientists' logs.

Meanwhile, in the lower levels of the now-seemingly-abandoned research center, Phineas found something that worried him deeply. Phineas' group had come across the containment rooms, but peeking through the window revealed nothing. No scientists, no animals, nothing.

So after glancing worriedly at Odyssey, Nova, and Isabella, he pushed open the door slowly.

The first thing they noticed was the surprising blast of frigid air hitting them the instant they stepped into the room.

"W-wow, it's c-cold," Isabella managed to say through chattering teeth.

Phineas nodded silently in agreement, his teeth chattering loudly. Rubbing his hands together in an attempt to seek warmth, he searched around the room for signs of life, or better yet, any signs of Perry.

On the floor in the corner, there lay a few teal platypus hairs. But Perry was nowhere to be found.

"I-I don't understand." Phineas wondered aloud, "Platypus don't do well in the cold. Why would they keep him here?"

"P-perhaps the c-cages are h-heated separately," Odyssey reasoned.

"Sp-speaking of h-heat," Isabella said through chattering teeth, "I-I'm going t-to go w-wait outs-side. C-coming Nov-va? O-Odyssey?" The two equines nodded. "Ph-Phineas?"

He shook his head. "N-no, Isabella." He said as he scooped up the small teal hairs. "I-I'm g-gonna stay h-here a l-little longer."

"O-okay." She gave him a weak smile. "I'll h-hold the d-door open f-for you." She said as she walked away. Nova and Odyssey followed her, leaving the redhead to himself. Falling to his knees, he kept searching for _some sign_ of his missing platypus, his missing friend, his missing _family_. At that very moment, he desperately wished Ferb was there with him. Sniffling now, he tried in vain to keep the tears from falling.

Up in the control room, Ferb felt the salty, wet tears slide down his cheeks. Brushing them away with a silent confused frown, he tried once again to regain concentration.

Suddenly, an alarm began blaring. "WARNING: COOLING SYSTEM CONTAINMENT MALFUNCTION. WARNING: COOLING SYSTEM CONTAINMENT MALFUNCTION. WARNING:…"

Concerned, the green-haired young man looked up. Seeing the button flashing, he pressed it without another thought.

Back in the containment cells, Isabella, Nova, and Odyssey were struggling to keep the door open. "Phineas!" The ebony-haired young woman cried out, "I don't mean to interrupt you, but the door is closing!"

Alarmed, the redheaded young man looked up in shock. "W-what?!" He exclaimed, wiping away his tears hurriedly as he stood, racing to the door.

Skidding, he slipped and collapsed on the slick floor, and the door continued to close quickly, despite the fact that the three of them were pushing on it together. Slipping and sliding on the floor, Phineas managed to get to the door before it fully closed. But he was wedged in between the door and the wall, the Sword peeking through to where Isabella could reach.

With nothing else to grab onto, she tugged fruitfully on the hilt. "Isabella, it's not going to—!" The redhead cried out as he fell backward into the room once more. Isabella was still holding the Sword when the door shut and locked with a solid click, leaving a very cold and very worried Phineas Flynn locked inside.


	32. Dead Languages and Purring Polar Bears

Chapter 32: Deciphering Dead Languages and Purring Polar Bears

Shaking, Isabella pressed the button for the intercom to the control room. "Ferb, do you know that the door to the containment rooms locked?"

"Yes, Isabella. Something about a cooling system malfunction?" Ferb asked tiredly.

"We were _holding the door open_, Ferb. Phineas is still inside." She squeaked out bleakly.

It was almost possible to _hear_ the British-born young man pale at that. "I'll get right on it." It was all he needed to say.

As soon as the connection ceased, Isabella fell to her knees and began to sob. "Oh, Phineas, please be okay."

Phineas, however, was doing better than they'd thought. Well, somewhat.

When the door closed, he began looking around the room to see what he had to work with. IN the corner, he spotted a small, white, fuzzy shape, and, assuming it was a hat, he went over, intending to pick it up.

Much to his surprise, the small, fuzzy, white shape jumped up, looking caught between running and curling up to the redhead. It was a polar bear cub.

Holding his hand out for the cub to sniff, he gauged the bear's reactions. Surprisingly, it decided to twine itself around his legs, much like a cat. Then it began to purr. "Y-you think y-you're a c-cat, d-don't you?" He smiled. "W-well, come w-with me. W-we'll keep e-each other w-warm."

It padded over and crawled into his lap.

"Hey, l-little fella." Phineas said with a smile. "G-got a n-name, little g-guy?"

The cub purred again, rubbing its head against the redhead's chest. A silver tag caught his eye. "P47298, h-huh?" He fingered the tag. "W-well, I c-certainly c-can't c-c-call you th-that." Phineas laughed a little, but it was hollow and shaky. "Oh, I know. Marshy." He smiled brighter now. "It sounds like 'Swampy', and it'll be short for Marshmallow.' So, what do you think?"

The cub flopped over in his lap rubbing his head against Phineas' chest. "I g-g-guess that's a y-yes." He chuckled as he shivered. "I-it's n-nice t-t-to m-meet you, M-M-Marshy. I-I'm Ph-Ph-Phineas." He wrapped his arms around the white, fluffy mass. _I wonder how long it'll take for them to find a way to open this door_.

Up in the control room, Ferb was searching wildly for a way to assist his step-brother.

He found the intercom button for the containment rooms within minutes, and called him. "How are you doing, brother?" Ferb asked him, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

"I-I'm v-very c-c-cold," Phineas admitted, "b-but I d-did f-find a f-f-friend."

"Friend?" Ferb echoed, worried that his brother, in his state of deep freeze might be hallucinating as well. "What…sort of friend, Phineas?"

"A p-polar b-bear cub." Phineas was obviously smiling. "His n-name is M-M-Marshy. It's sh-sh-short f-for 'Marshmallow'. Plus it s-sounds l-l-like S-S-Swampy' and…Ferb? F-F-Ferb? Wh-What's wrong?"

The British-born young man let out a sigh. Phineas had known that he was apprehensive, despite being unable to see him. "Try not to talk so much, Phin. You're losing body heat very quickly now. The more you talk the more body heat you'll lose. Keep moving, but try not to talk. We'll get you out of there as soon as we can."

"O-okay, F-Ferb. Th-thank you." Phineas sounded like he had the smallest of smiles on his face.

"I'm going now, Phineas." Ferb told him. "Try to stay warm." _And alive_. It went unsaid, but not unacknowledged. Then he ended the connection.

Not bothering to turn away from where he was working, he called out, "Nightshade, I need your help."

"You had me at 'Nightshade," She informed him as she slid out of the wall.

"I need you to help me read some of these signs, Nightshade."

"My pleasure," She replied with the bow of her head. "Where shall we start?"

"Over there," He said, pointing to a nearby panel.

Nightshade glided over. "This one..." There was a long, quiet pause as she stared in unblinking concentration. "...says 'close door'." She was pointing to the button that had been flashing earlier.

Ferb gave her a look.

"What?" She shrugged. "It's been two millennia since I've had a use for it."

"We need to hurry, Nightshade. Phineas' very life may be at stake." He urged her.

She nodded silently. "Here. This will manually open the door." She pointed. "But as soon as it is, you must make sure the others get him out immediately. the door will close soon after, and judging by how cold it is, he won't be able to do so much as blink on his own when anyone gets to him, much less walk out of there alive."

Ferb nodded silently. He would risk life and limb for his step-brother; they had been family since before they had even met.

Not to mention the fact that he feared the possibility of losing Perry altogether if Phineas wasn't there to help him.


	33. Agent Polar Bears and Families Forever

Chapter 33: Agent Polar Bears and Families That Last Forever

Getting Phineas out was easier said than done, considering how chilled he was, not to mention his clear attachment to the polar bear cub, "Marshy". Putting completely aside the fact that Isabella was the only one of the three of them that actually had opposable thumbs that was close enough to help him.

Despite this, however, they managed this feat anyway.

As they warmed him up and brought him to the control room (it had by far the most heat, since Ferb redirected the power), they lost track of Marshmallow.

Phineas was sleeping by then, warm and able to move all of his appendages, so he made no complaints about the small, white ball of fur's surprising disappearance.

What none of them knew as that fact that Marshmallow (which, coincidentally _was_ his real name) had slunk off to slip on a fedora and pull out an O.W.C.A.-authorized cellular phone. "Oh, hello, Agent Polarbear." A monotonous voice replied. It quickly became shocked. "Agent Polarbear?! We thought we'd lost you for good!"

_Agent P saved me,_ He typed to his superior, _but now he's in trouble instead._

"Where are his owners now?" The major asked.

_They're in the other room. They're on a mission to save him._ He typed back.

"Keep an eye on them for us, then, Agent Pb."

"Stay safe, Agent Peanutbutter!" A nasally voice called out.

"Carl!" Monogram chided, "To say such things is to mock the very organization you work for!"

"'Work' implies that I'm getting paid, sir. I'm still an unpaid intern. _I don't get paid_."

"You're getting college credit, aren't you?" The major pointed out.

"Sir, I graduated three months ago. Which you would have known, had you come the ceremony-!"

Carl's voice was interrupted by a loud, hissing meow. _I'm still here, remember?_

Major Monogram colored. "Ah. Yes. Well, good luck, Agent Pb."

_Why do you keep calling me that? Isn't it obvious that I'm a cat?_ Was the last thing he typed before he put the phone away and padded back into the control room, slipping his hat off his head and putting it away before he curled into a ball beside Phineas.

When the redhead awoke again, Ferb was once again looking at the science logs. "Hey, Ferb? What time is it?"

Ferb smiled back at him. "Time for us to start heading out. I've downloaded everything we can use from the scientists' notes on the database."

Phineas struggled to sit up, only to find that Odyssey was cradling him with his wings. "HI, Odyssey."

The equine smiled down at him, "Hello, Little One."

"I'd like to get up now," Phineas said quietly.

Odyssey shifted so he could stand.

Phineas hugged his step-brother tightly. "Thanks, bro, for saving me."

The green-haired young man pushed him back to arm's length to look him in the eye. "No. Don't thank me, Phineas. I was the one who locked you in."

"But you got me out again. That's what matters. 'That's right, we're bros, we're brothers, different father and mother, but don't you dis or slam or slight us,'"

His brother joined him in for the next line with a smile. "'We look after one another.'"

They hugged once more. "C'mon, Ferb. Let's go save Perry."


	34. Smoking Spaceships and Watching Sunsets

Chapter 34: Smoking Spaceships and Watching Sunsets

One strong difference between Marshy and Perry was their connection with the two step-brothers. The teal monotreme had bonded with them equally, but Marshy, who'd met Phineas before Ferb, found himself rather hesitant when bonding with the British-born young man. He couldn't help that bonding however, because of their close connection as siblings.

So as they walked through the jungle once more, the polar bear cub walked between the two young men, closer to Phineas than Ferb.

This was how it appeared then, when they came across a patch of jungle that had recently ceased smoking.

"Ferb, is that what I think it is?" The redhead asked uneasily.

Ferb nodded slowly.

They continued walking until they came across the ship. _The Conqueror-inator 2_. Isabella said quietly, bushing the burnt foliage off the name plate. "But what happened to the doctor?"

Frowning, Ferb nodded to the redhead and turned to keep watch as Phineas climbed the side of the ship.

When he reached the top, he let out a gasp.

"What is it, Phineas? Do you see him?" Ginger asked curiously.

"Isabella," He said with a small sigh as he sat, not even noticing Marshy pawing at the side. "Come up here and look. It's breathtakingly beautiful."

Smiling, she picked Marshy up and climbed up beside him. When she set the polar bear cub down, he immediately curled up into the redhead's lap. Then the ebony-haired young woman came to sit beside him, their hips and knees touching. "Wow, Phineas." She said with a smile, it really _is_ beautiful.

_Just like you_. The redhead was thankful he'd only thought it. The idea was ridiculous. She was his cute next-door neighbor, now cute girl from down the hall. "It is, isn't it?" He leaned in, and she grasped her hand with her own. After a minute of comfortable silence, Phineas turned to her, looking her in the eyes and saying quietly, "Thank you, Isabella."

She looked confused. "For what?" She stared into his eyes curiously.

"For saving me back there." He said with a small smile on his face. "If it hadn't been for you, I never would have made it out."

She flushed smiling as she averted her gaze from his. "Oh Phineas," She grinned, "Odyssey and Nova helped too."

"But it's not the first time you've saved me, is it?" He said with a grin.

She flushed even darker. "No, I suppose not."

He hugged her tightly now. "Well, I certainly hope it's not the last."

She laughed softly in an attempt to hide how fast her heart beat in her chest. "You do realize that requires you to put yourself in danger again."

"Yeah," He whispered softly, "but it doesn't matter when I have a friend like you to save me."

"Friend." She said quietly, hesitantly. "Right. Yeah." She said with a sigh.


	35. Patches of Mint and Illiterate Doctors

Chapter 35: Patches of Mint and Illiterate Doctors

Shortly after the two watched the sunset, Nova and Odyssey emerged from the jungle around them. The equines had gone off in search of the self-proclaimed 'evil' scientist and had finally returned.

Isabella climbed down from where she sat beside Phineas to greet the unicorn. "So Nova, find anything?"

The horned equine looked very excited. "I found a really great patch of mint back there! I mean it's not as great as peppermint, but it _is_ manufactured, after all." She shrugged.

The ebony-haired young woman looked rather miffed. "I meant it you'd found any clues as to where the 'doctor' went."

"Oh." Nova looked confused. "_That_ was what we were supposed to be looking for?"

"_Yes_, Nova." she sighed. "Let's go see if Odyssey found anything."

The winged equine lumbered over where the two of them stood a minute later.

"There is a trail of random machine parts leading in that direction. That, and a seemingly peculiar number of birds. Although, perhaps that point is simply moot."

"Good job, Odyssey." She said with a smile.

Nova sighed, then. "That's not better than mint. How is a trail of machine parts better than mint?"

Odyssey perked up. "Wait, there is mint? Why was I not informed that there was mint?"

"The mint's not all that important, guys." Isabella replied rather deadpanned.

"Blasphemy!" Nova and Odyssey exclaimed simultaneously.

Phineas laughed at that, but Ferb only smiled.

"Go on, guys." The redhead said with a smile. "Go ahead and get your mint."

Isabella looked shocked. "How can you say that, Phineas? What if they get lost? What if they never get out? What if we never see them again?"

"You do realize they'd just have to fly up above the trees again to get out of the forest, right?" Candace asked bluntly.

Isabella quieted after that, and then the two equines set off for the mint while the rest headed in the direction that the machine parts and the flock of birds led them to.

They found the good doctor a few minutes later, digging amongst the bushes, calling out, "Perry the Platypus! Where are you? It's you're nemesis, Doctor Doof!"

Nova sighed as the two equines rejoined the rest of the group. "Anyone else finally agree with me that he's an idiot?"

Ferb, several feet behind the rest of them, raised his hand slowly and silently.

"Put your hand down, Ferb." Phineas commented without looking back at his step-brother.

It was then that Doofenshmirtz noticed them standing around him. Turning around, he greeted them with a large smile. "Hello, friends!" Isabella raised an eyebrow at that, but chose not to comment. Marshy hid behind Phineas, peeking out at the strange man. "You found my trail of almond brittle, didn't you?" He grinned widely. "I _knew_ it would work!"

"Have you even _read_ Hansel and Gretel?" Candace asked, almost irritated.

"Oh, you mean that story about the Werewolf guy went to the ball wearing glass slippers and accidentally swallowed the wooden boy? I totally didn't understand that story. I mean, what was with the tornado? They were on an island! Or at least...I think so."

Baljeet shook his head with an audible sigh.

All he did after that was raise his hand slowly in defeat.


	36. Hypnotic Beasts and Discovering Secrets

Chapter 36: Hypnotic Beasts and Discovering Secrets

The gang headed back to the boat with great speed in an attempt to make up with lost time when the ground began to shake again.

"F-Ferb!" Phineas exclaimed, "Let's get out of here!"

Nodding the two of them picked up the pace as they led the group. Ferb slipped his gun out, his shaking hand steadying as they skidded to a halt. Navigating through this unknown terrain was not easy, and the gang was soon surrounded by a group of giant lizard beasts.

The Fireside Girls, Doof, Nova, and Odyssey were surrounded first, frozen as soon as the beasts drew close.

Then Baljeet, Buford, Candace, Stacy, and Jeremy fell under their spell.

As Ferb struggled with his gun, Phineas gazed, transfixed as one twined his tail around his body, crooning, "You should stay here."

Phineas' grip loosened on the sword as he replied softly, "What?"

Another descended on Ferb, and he raised the weapon up in alarm. The beast put a single talon on the gun slowly lowering it as it whispered, "Don't abandon your duties, Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher."

The green-haired young man's eyes widened as he let out a gasp. "How?"

"I know everything you know, and more. How does it feel to be removed from the elite fleet for inappropriate conduct with a superior officer?"

"So that's what went into the official records." Ferb commented calmly.

"Ferb! That's not true, is it?" Isabella exclaimed, aghast.

"Of course not, Isabella." He replied as his grip tightened on the gun now at his side. "Unfortunately, the truth is infinitely worse."

"Ah, yes." The beast crooned. "What was it again? Oh yes." It grinned. "Now I remember. Classified, top secret science experiment reveal. Nasty business, cleaning up after the commotion you caused over a little human testing. They weren't being harmed. At that much." It added softly, unaffected by it.

"You monster!" Isabella roared still unable to move her feet from where they were rooted to the spot.

"True," The one beside her crooned as it curled closer, "but I prefer the term 'beast'."

Isabella gritted her teeth, calling, "Phineas! Ferb! _Do_ something!"

The redhead still remained unmoving, listening as the beast whispered to him, "Toss aside your sword, Phineas Flynn."

A moment of realization swept through the green-haired young man. Salamandrine.

"Took you long enough." The one beside Ferb sneered. "I was beginning to think you were slow."

"They're salamandrine." He said as calmly as he could. "He warned me about them." He said quietly. "They're beasts recruited for the elite fleet. He warned me about them, and I didn't even believe them. Didn't even believe they exist." He murmured softly.

Odyssey, who now stood directly beside Phineas, finally snapped out of his haze. "Young lad, who is this 'him' you speak of?"

Ferb shook his head. "It's a story for another time." He turned to the redhead. "Phineas, no!" He exclaimed, trying to lunge for his step-brother. But his fleet were still stuck to the ground.

Phineas was pulling the Sword from its sheath, his eyes glazed over. Odyssey, seeing the direness of the situation, fought the intense pain in the back of his head, telling him, _You don't want to move, you're perfectly happy where you are_, and leaned forward, bowing his head as he stretched out a hoof to step on the redhead's foot. "Snap out of it, Phineas!"

"Ow!" Exclaimed Phineas, snatching his foot out from under the equine's hoof. Then, bulling the sword fully from its sheath, he brought the hilt up to his face and let the sword take care of the rest as the beams of light left the tip and shot all of the salamandrine squarely in their chests.

All of the rest of the gang managed, in the salamandrine's collective moment of shock, to fight back until they were sending the salamandrine fleeting for their lives.

After a half an hour of rest, they found the boat within minutes.

It wasn't until they were halfway back the main island that Ferb realized that his one wish had come true—his friends and family finally knew what had happened. And he hadn't broken the vow he'd made when he'd left.


End file.
